Mischief and Chocolate Frosting
by Sara60691
Summary: Loki's trying to take over the world again, but becomes distracted by a certain political science major. What's a girl to do when the God of Mischief takes and interest in her? break out the chocolate frosting of course! rated M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: ok, so a couple of things. First and forremost, huge thank you to my beta Sigridr, who has been a big help with this story. Seriously, i wouldn't be posting this without Sigridr's help. Secondly, this is the first story i've written out of the Eureka fandom and it's the first time i've written in third person perspective, so feedback would be great appreciated. Last but not least, i don't own anything Marvel, we all know it, disclaimer done and will not be repeated. So yeah, Enjoy!

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This was boring. Not just the kind of boring where you wanted to fall asleep in class while the professor was talking boring, but the kind that made you want to set something on fire just for an excuse to escape boring. Steve Rogers was every girl's dream guy…every girl except Darcy. It's not that she didn't appreciate his other-era politeness, it was sweet after all, but her sarcastic remarks sometimes went over his head. His looks were also something that she couldn't complain about, but they just weren't to her taste exactly. Her modern-era feminist tendencies seemed to clash with his older style chivalry a little too much. Darcy sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that night, tuning out the Captain's rambling about some fight with some red angry German.

"Darcy?" his voice brought her out of her own head.

"Yeah? Sorry, I guess my mind wandered a bit there," she gave him a polite excuse and a pleasant smile. He would understand. It wasn't the first time her mind had gone off elsewhere. Everyone at SHIELD was used to Darcy being a bit absent-minded.

"Well, it's getting late. Would you like me to walk you home?" Rogers asked as they exited the restaurant he had taken her to. Again she gave him her patented "I-like-you-but-not-in-that-way-and-I'd-rather-be-anywhere-but-here-right-now" smile.

"That's ok Steve, I have to get up early tomorrow and if you walk me home we'll get to talking, I'll invite you in, and you'll most likely spend the night. It'll be a whole thing. Maybe next time," she grinned as the super soldier blushed at her statement.

"Well then, good night Darcy," he managed to stammer out before hopping on his bike. Darcy sighed in relief this time, happy to have a nice quiet walk home to look forward to, just her and her Taser. The streets were eerily empty as she started the two mile path toward her apartment and it made the hairs on the back of her neck rise. She rolled her shoulders, unable to shake the feeling of eyes on her even when she knew no one was around. Halfway home she got sick of jumping at every little noise and stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, feeling ridiculous for what she was about to do.

"Ok, I feel really stupid right now, but seriously, if some creepy thing or whoever is following me could just come out, that'd be great right now," she muttered, leaning back on the brick wall and waiting, not expecting much. At the thirty second mark (which felt like two minutes) she sighed, thinking the whole thing a waste of time and standing straight, ready to continue on her way and promising to skip zombie week on TV this year. A quiet laughter, seemingly out of nowhere gave her pause. Creepy laughter from thin air was a good excuse to bring out Mr. Shocky. Darcy looked around, her wide blue eyes dilated slightly in fear. The silence that followed the short chuckle made Darcy's fear amp up a bit. She never did like the silences before the storm. There was too much anticipation and build up for her liking and she was the kind of person to just get through the ordeal and have it done with. Just like taking off a Band-Aid, nice and quick. Her heart was pounding so loudly in her chest it was pretty much the only thing she could hear on the quiet street. She felt frozen in place, fear locking her limbs as her breath came in quickening gasps. Darcy suddenly felt like that poor little lamb from some kids' story, waiting for the big bad wolf to leap out of nowhere and eat her up.

"Fucking hell!" she squeaked as a car turned onto the empty road, the headlights bathing her in light for a moment before it drove on. The sudden break in the calm freed Darcy from her paralysis and she ran the rest of the way home. She was suddenly so glad for those training sessions with Natasha and Clint. A year ago she could barely run a mile, never mind two and a half at a dead sprint. Getting into her darkened home, she locked the door, dropped her bag, and slid to the floor in relief and exhaustion. Yeah her legs would feel like she was wearing twenty pound weights tomorrow, but at least she was nice and safe in her own home now. Summoning the strength to get up, Darcy started on her nightly routine, not bothering with the lights in the apartment. Only when she was climbing into bed fifteen minutes later did she sense something was off. Patience having long run out and too tired to actually be afraid, she sat up in bed, looking around her dark room, long shadows being cast from the streetlight spilling in her windows.

"Ok, I'm sick of the creepy hide and seek game going on here. Either come out and talk to me or back the fuck off so I can get some much needed sleep," she grumbled. There was a full five minutes of silence in which Darcy was starting to wonder if all those long nights with Jane and Tony were finally starting to get to her. Really, she needed to start making those two stick to regular office hours and have them take a break every now and then. Jane was still working on her Bifrost project even though Thor could just zap back to Earth whenever he wanted now that he had the glowing cube thingy. Tony, well, Tony Stark was like a genius five year old with the worst sense of entitlement issues she had ever met. Poor Pepper, she had it so rough. That man would do anything for her though which Darcy thought was very romantic. She would never understand what Pepper saw in the man, but she thought the two of them looked very cute together, especially when the team had their monthly dinner together, just as a way to keep in touch minus earth catastrophes. A shadow out of the corner of her eye brought Darcy from her wandering thoughts.

"Hello…?" she called, drawing out the word. The rather imposing shadow thing chuckled and stepped forward slightly.

"Hello Miss. Lewis," it said. She arched an eyebrow questioningly. After everything that happened in her life since Thor dropped from the sky, there was very little weirdness in the world which could shake Darcy Lewis' nerves. Shadow men didn't even rate on her scale although it did freak her out just a bit, she would admit that much. She reached under her pillow, feeling better when she found her Taser and had it safely in her grip. The black shape began to take a more solid form and the first thing Darcy noticed were the almost glowing green eyes staring at her followed by the Cheshire cat grin. The black hair almost went unnoticed except the soft shine from the lights' refection caught her eye (_probably the hair gel or whatever he had it in catching the light_, she thought). The pale skin made him stand out even more in the darkness of her room and the streetlights made his features look unnaturally sharp.

"Ok then Mr. Cheshire Cat, what business do you have here this fine evening?" Darcy asked, deciding that she wasn't going to get sleep anytime soon and so chose to make tea for the conversation that was about to follow, and to settle her fight or flight instinct. The man's smile slipped off his face and a confused and curious expression took its place. He followed her from the bedroom into her kitchen just as she was putting the kettle on to heat.

"Tea?" she asked, already pulling out a mug for herself.

"Please…" he said hesitantly after a long moment.

"So, what brings you here at this odd hour?" Darcy asked, sitting at the island counter and gazing at the admittedly handsome person curiously.

"You are such a strange creature. Much more mysterious than any other Midgardian I have come across," he commented, sitting cautiously across from her. She gave a slight smirk at that.

"Yeah, I get that a lot. Are you from Asgard? The way you talk and dress it sure seems like it," she asked, tilting her head curiously. His lips quirked at the question, whether into a scowl or a smirk was anyone's guess.

"Yes I am of Asgard, but origin is not what I wish to speak with you about Miss. Lewis," Green Eyes replied.

"Oh? And what is? There are very few things I can think of an Asgardian and I would have in common, especially one I've never met before," she smirked, getting up as the kettle started to whistle.

"I find myself in need of some assistance and you seem like the person to go to for such a project as the one I am endeavoring to complete," he told her mysteriously.

"I don't do favors for strange men." He smirked at her words.

"I'm not entirely sure it would be wise to challenge me." The threat in his words was more subtle than the dangerous look in his eyes when he said this. Darcy merely shrugged and passed him his tea, setting sugar and cream on the counter in front of him. She was proud of herself that her hands didn't shake.

"Well let me see…magic user, Asgardian, favors green and gold wardrobe…you must be the infamous Loki I've heard so much about," Darcy felt smug at the look of surprise on the god's face even as her heart hammered in her chest, her body begging to either taze the guy or run out of there screaming.

"My, my, how very astute of you. No matter, you knowing my identity is of no consequence," he sighed, taking a sip of his beverage.

"So God of Lies, what is it you want from little ole me? If you were trying to get at Thor you'd go through Jane. Anyone else on the Avengers team is pretty vulnerable to you on their own, except maybe Bruce, and you haven't done anything take-over-the-world-like since that thing in New York a year ago," Darcy rambled, her thoughts pouring from her mouth sans filter. The smile he gave her was as absolutely terrifying as it was hot. Darcy didn't want to admit it, but Sir Broods-a-Lot over here was pretty much her dream dude in the looks department. His hair would probably look better short, or at least not slicked back, but overall if Darcy had to have a visitor at two in the morning she was glad he was at least pleasing to the eye. Her eyes drifted from his hair to his lips as he was talking, noticing that, although pale like the rest of his skin tone, they looked _very_ kissable. His hands were the next thing she observed. He had a tendency to talk with his hands like her ex-boyfriend did except his hands were larger than the ex's, with longer pianist-looking fingers. Darcy vaguely wondered if he played an instrument. Her blue-grey eyes drifted back up to his, taking note of the fact that his green eyes were alight with glee, probably at his thoughts of mischief and other taking over the world stuff. The Pinky and the Brain theme song started playing in her head at that thought.

"Have you even heard a word I've been saying to you?" his voice pulled her from her thoughts of the two mice and she blinked, looking at his questioning and slightly annoyed expression.

"My thoughts have a habit of wandering. Honestly, I try to rope them in but it's like herding cats or controlling a runaway train…no helping it," she shrugged, gulping down half her tea.

"Perhaps I should have given more thought before approaching you as part of my plan," he mused to himself.

"So, what are we going to do tonight Brain?" she mumbled under her breath, smirking into her mug.

"Excuse me?" he arched a questioning eyebrow at her. Darcy tried oh so very hard, but she couldn't hold in the laughter. The look he gave her clearly showed he thought she was insane.

"I was quoting a children's cartoon. Don't worry about it," she said, waving her hand in the air as if waving the thought away, "So, what was that plan you rattled off before while my mind was on hippos dancing in tutus?" The look he gave her was priceless, but he chose to not comment and instead reiterated his idea to her.

"Basically Miss. Lewis, I need your help in ostracizing the Avengers from each other and SHIELD. With them broken apart, I can more easily defeat them one at a time and will have better results this time round with conquering your little planet," he looked smug as she puzzled over his idea.

"You know, that actually sounds pretty reasonable, as in it's of the might-not-fail variety type plan. But why me? I'm a political liaison between SHIELD and varying governments and their officials. I have nothing to do with the team," Darcy pointed out.

"Ah, but you see, that's the brilliance of it. You are friends or at least acquaintances with the little group and so you have some form of access to them. Subtly is all I require of you really. Just little comments to put ideas in their heads. Once Thor and the others are squabbling amongst themselves and can no longer function as a team because of petty differences, it will be much easier to take over. You, as a political liaison with no official affiliation with the Avengers, are entirely looked over. There is also no connection between you and me so that even if someone did get suspicious and you were to get into some form of trouble, any result of your actions would not lead back to me," he explained.

"Or, you know, I could just tell SHIELD that you did some spell type mumbo jumbo and made me do it," she shrugged, easily countering his argument. He smirked again at her words.

"Now, what makes you think that if I am capable of controlling your actions with a spell, that I would also be unable to keep you from aiming the blame at me with magic?"

"Touché. But why not just use magic on me in the first place? I'm sure it would probably be a hell of a lot easier that just spouting your whole plan to me and trying to convince me to help you…or more likely for you, threaten me into helping you."

"I find it more amusing to use persuasion instead of magic to get a person to do my bidding. What is it you humans say of me? That I have a _silver tongue_ is it?" Darcy swore he purred the last words on purpose. This was totally not fair. Darcy was one hell of a debater and could probably twist a politician's words around so much she could get him to agree with his opponent, but Loki was something else. One look at his bright green eyes and smirking face and any argument in her brain melted into _sexy god is sexy_. Of course, Darcy was pretty sure she would've agreed to whatever Loki had up his sleeve if he had showed up shirtless. Yum, shirtless god…with frosting. She wondered if she still had that container of chocolate fudge frosting in the fridge. She looked at the fridge wistfully, completely lost in her own world.

As Loki watched the mortal's eyes fade into a daze and look over at some appliance in her kitchen he knew he lost her attention again. He sighed, sipping at his tea as he waited for her thoughts to return to the topic at hand. Perhaps he should have gone with his original idea of just tormenting Jane Foster into doing his bidding. He was starting to think she would have been much easier to scare into submission than this Darcy woman. He had to admit, she was interesting though. She made very good points for her argument and she wasn't cowed by him, as far as he could surmise anyway. The girl was an utter mystery to him at the moment, which probably drew him to her as his choice for accomplice. Yes, she would probably fight him tooth and nail in his scheme, but in the end he was confident that she would assist him in pulling the Avengers apart. Loki smiled as he took another sip of his drink, Darcy still entirely unaware that the God of Mischief was still sitting across from her and waiting for an answer.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: just a quick thanks to all those who are following this story, favorited it, and an especially big thank you to those four people who reviewed! And now on with the story!

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Darcy was very grumpy the next morning. She wasn't a morning person by any stretch of the imagination, but she was at least tolerable after she had a cup of coffee. Right now though she was not someone you wanted to cross paths with. On her third cup of coffee and still in a horrible mood, the brunette stomped her way through SHIELD headquarters to her office, people scuttling to get out of her way.

"Whoa there cupcake. What's up with you?" Tony called as she marched past him.

"Bad date, worse night, horrible morning," she growled.

"You think you've had it bad, try having to fly to Sweden to get chocolate at three in the morning because Pepper 'had a craving'!" Iron Man chuckled, choosing to follow her into her office. He made himself at home in one of her visitor chairs as she went about sorting her work for the day.

"Hey, you're the one who got her pregnant. You _should_ have to fly halfway around the world to get her the best chocolate since forever if she wants it. Imagine the pain she's going to be in when she gives birth," Darcy felt a sadistic smile cross her face as Stark's face visibly paled a shade.

"Yeah, I'm hoping she changes her mind and has the C-section. I have no clue why she would ever want to go through…_that_," he mumbled. Darcy smiled again, less sadistically this time and plopped down in her chair, facing Tony. The two were actually pretty good friends despite outward appearances and it seemed like she was the only one besides Pepper who could keep up with his witty banter, throwing back her own rather creative remarks. Lately their topic of choice was Tony's impending fatherhood and how Pepper was doing though, which she didn't mind. Pepper was still a good friend of hers even if they didn't get to see each other often.

"You mean natural birth? You know, women have been having kids since the beginning of time Tony, it's not a big deal to give birth without the drugs and without getting cut open," she pointed out, taking satisfaction in the fact that she was able to rattle his nerves. The dude could handle the Chituari army and a nuclear strike at the same time in stride, but have him dealing with a pregnant woman and he crumbled like a sand castle.

"Whatever, at least she said she would go to the hospital when she went into labor. I don't know what I'd do if she wanted to give birth at home," he sighed, running his hands through his messy hair.

"You'd have flown in the best doctors for a house call. No matter what people say about you Tony, you take good care of the people in your life who are important to you," Darcy said, feeling serious for a moment. Stark stared at her in an assessing manner for what felt like forever.

"You know Lewis, you may not be smart like Jane…and we both know no one is as smart as me, but you got a brain under those pretty curls," he finally smirked, leaning back in his chair. She rolled her eyes, used to his rather rudely worded compliments. But any compliment from Tony Stark, even impolite, was something to be treasured. She was about to retort but the familiar sound of heels clicking down the hall brought her evil smirk back.

"Tony!" Pepper called a few seconds later, standing in the doorway to Darcy's office. The man sighed as if he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders before standing and giving the red head a kiss.

"Good to see you Pepper, why don't you sit down for a bit?" Darcy offered. The woman gratefully took the offer.

"I'm sorry I haven't seen you in so long, but walking around the helicarrier while pregnant isn't exactly the best," Pepper sighed.

"I bet, talk about getting airsick. But look at you! You're all nice and round. What are you, five, six months along?" The brunette asked, both women ignoring Tony as they caught up.

"Five and a half. I haven't been able to get an ultrasound since the second month, I've been so busy, but that's why I was looking for Tony. We're going to find out the sex of the baby today!" Pepper was squealing with girlish delight at her last statement.

"I want a boy," Tony finally broke into the conversation.

"It's a girl," his girlfriend countered.

"Its twins," Darcy smirked. She was just having the thought of "what would Tony do if he had to take care of two babies" when she said that out loud. Honestly it was just a guess from left field, but if karma really did exist, Darcy was sure it would bless Tony Stark with twins…both boys just for his benefit.

"That would be nice too. One of each," Pepper said thoughtfully.

"I hope to god not. One is enough to take care of but two would be chaos," Stark groaned.

"Well you'll never know unless you go to that appointment. Pepper, it was great seeing you and I hope you're taking it easy. Tony, you should text me to let me know a.s.a.p. about the sex," Darcy said, promptly dismissing the two parents-to-be. She smiled as Tony helped Pepper to her feet and kept their hands entwined as they left her private space. She had quiet for maybe all of two minutes when she felt the foreboding presence in the room. A shiver of fear ran up her spine before she could quell it. With a sigh, she leaned back in her chair and glanced around slowly, examining the corners of her office for any sign of a trickster god. When she couldn't find any evidence of his presence beyond the feeling that she was being watched, Darcy groaned and ran her fingers through her slightly curled hair in agitation. Knowing it was useless to demand he come out and show himself, she stood up and stomped over to her coffee maker.

"Stupid Asgardians, stupid SHIELD, stupid job…" she continued to curse under her breath. Right now she was pretty sure she hated everything. What she wouldn't give for some vacation days on a beach in Hawaii right this moment.

"You're a rather odd creature," his voice made Darcy jump, dropping the, thankfully, still empty mug she had been holding. Very slowly, she turned and glared at the god reclining in her chair, looking very pleased with himself. He was wearing a casual looking suit, unlike last night when he was in full Asgardian regalia. She couldn't help but take a moment and appreciate how the nice button down shirt hugged his shoulders and only gave a slight hint of the muscles that lay beneath. Shaking her head to refocus (_no thinking about his sexy man-beast abs Darcy_ she told herself) she scowled at the shattered porcelain around her feet. Deciding it wasn't important and that she would clean it up later, Darcy made her way out of the broken shards and over to her desk. Choosing to not exile herself to one of the visitor chairs in her own office, she sat on her desk in front of him, making sure her pencil skirt didn't ride up…much.

"And how am I any more odd than you oh God of Stalking?" she asked. He quirked an eyebrow at the name, but didn't comment on it. Although a lot of the names she came up with annoyed him, he didn't particularly feel the need to punish her for it.

"You had a perfect opportunity to start trouble between the Avengers members, or even between their beloved ones and yet you did nothing," he pointed out, frowning.

"If you remember correctly, I never agreed to help you," the girl pointed out.

"Ah yes, you got lost in your thoughts again." He smirked, remembering leaving her home last night when he didn't reclaim her attention. His eyes drifted from her face downward then back up, assessing the change in her appearance from last night and the few other occasions he had seen her. He was used to her being in layers of very casual clothes, hiding her form from people's gaze. In the year he had been gone, she had certainly changed. The woman always seemed short to him, looking close to Thor's woman's height when she wore the oversized things. Now her shapely legs looked long in the tight skirt she chose to wear. The blouse that she also donned today did nothing to hide her shape and Loki found that he liked her much better when she was wearing her work clothes. When his eyes made it back to her face she was looking at him questioningly, her lips twitching in an attempt not to smirk.

"So, are you going to pester me until I help you? Because if you're just going to hang around and ogle my legs all day, I think I am capable of ignoring that," she said as calmly as she could, holding back the laughter threatening to bubble out. She was entirely sure she had just caught the God of Lies checking her out. He scowled at her assumption, leaning back in the chair and away from her.

"I was doing no such thing. I was simply comparing your appearance now to when Thor was first here. You have certainly changed and I find that this attire suits you more so than those shabby rags you wore in your student days," he explained. Darcy could swear he was pouting, but to her knowledge, gods didn't pout and certainly not _Loki Odinson_. Still, the thought of him acting like a petulant five year old gave her some nice mental images and she giggled before she could help herself.

"Alright, think what you will, but do you mind? I have work to get done before I fly off in an hour," she mentioned, motioning to the papers on her desk.

"Ah, but you distracted me from my original point. Miss. Lewis, will you help me in my endeavor or not?" Loki asked, leaning forward again in an attempt to intimidate her.

"Nah, I don't think I will," she sighed looking at her nails and trying to come off as indifferent to his proximity and hide her steadily fraying nerves. She knew he was a freaking powerful god who could easily kill her, quite literally, with a look. It wouldn't stop her from acting insolent, but it kept her from outright insulting him and hitting the sore spots she knew were there. So she kept the daddy issues and big brother complex retorts at bay. Those were a surefire way to get killed. When she didn't cave right away, Loki stood, resting his hands on either side of her against the desk, towering over her form. Darcy couldn't help but look up, unnerved at how close he was, those green eyes of his filling her vision. He looked mad.

"Listen you little mortal brat, you are trying my patience. I am giving you one more chance to comply with my request that you help me before I go about…_other means_ of acquiring it," his voice had dropped to a dangerous growl and the sound of it sent chills racing down Darcy's spine. She wasn't sure if she found the man in front of her terrifying or absolutely irresistible at the moment. She licked her lips nervously, leaning back on her hands as a way to gain some space.

"Listen, there are a lot of factors here. Yeah, I could probably tear the team apart with a few well-placed comments but there's no guarantee that it will work, even if I do agree to this. What's to stop you from throwing a hissy fit and killing me just because it didn't work?" she asked. The god blinked at her in surprise, leaning away and standing straight.

"Is that all you worry about? Me killing you because it didn't work?" his lips twitched as he was speaking as if he were trying to fight off a smile.

"No, but that's the first thing that popped into my head. There's the whole 'betraying my friends' deal too and even if you somehow get me to go along with this insanity I will _not_ break apart the couples. Team members I have less apprehension about, but not couples. Pepper needs Tony's help with the baby and besides every kid deserves to have both parents in their lives," Darcy's eyes drifted away from Loki as she spoke, her gaze seeming far away as her words trailed off softly.

"Oh? And what makes you say that?" he asked, curious as to where her thoughts were taking her now. Her blue eyes snapped back to him and the present, looking a little watery. Darcy couldn't help the sad smile that spread across her features.

"No reason in particular. I'll give you this much right now since I'm on a time crunch," she said, looking at her watch, "Give me forty eight hours to think about it. I'm going to write a list of all the questions and worries I have about this plan of yours and then I'll give you an answer. Are we clear? And no bugging me before then!" she said, hopping off the desk and starting to gather papers together. Loki watched her flitting around her office for another moment, a rather sour expression on his face. She was becoming decidedly less amusing today the more he talked to her.

"Fine, I will see you in two days' time. Until then Miss. Lewis," he nodded at her before disappearing. Darcy stood there a moment, staring at the spot where he had been a second ago. _Freaking coolest thing ever_ she thought before getting another look at the clock and running out of her office as fast as her thee inch heels would let her.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hello all wonderful poeple! So just a few quick things. One, thanks for all the reviews, faves and follows, i love you guys. Second, i'm posting early for a couple reasons, first because i'm disappearing this weekend to Canada with some friends and i wanted you guys to have the chapter rather than wait til i got back. Also, because i have such a woderful beta (Sigridhr) who is so quick to get back to me. Third, i've decided to bride people (and test how many of you actually read the author's note, lol) so i'm going to send previews of the next chapter to reviewers. I think that's all, other than the warning that this story is chock full of cliches which i love, and that i don't own any of the delicious superheroes to be found in here. Enjoy!

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Darcy took another sly glance at the clock. It was six in the evening in the City of Love which meant it was lunchtime back home. She sighed at the thought of food. With the way her day was going, it looked like she was going to either have to eat on the fly or work through and hope she got a break later.

"Mademoiselle Lewis?" her name being called, even in the strange French pronunciation, startled her from her daze.

"_Je suis désolée_," She offered her apologies in what little French she knew. Part of being a liaison for SHIELD was talking to _many_ different countries and so Darcy had endeavored to learn a little of every language she could.

"_Bon_, well then, may we continue?" the diplomat asked snidely, motioning around the table.

"_Au contraire_, Monsieur Dumas I do believe it is dinner time and, if your fellows agree, I think we should stop for the day perhaps and continue tomorrow?" she said, giving her best sweet, polite and innocent smile. Some of the others gathered nodded in agreement and even Dumas grudgingly admitted he was hungry. With that settled she swiftly gathered her things and departed as politely as possible. Once alone in her hotel room and happily sated by the room service she got, Darcy turned on her laptop and opened a new document. Sitting at the desk, staring out at the Eiffel Tower all lit up, the young woman wondered how she ever got into this situation in the first place, and not even just the thing with Loki, but her whole damn life. It seemed to Darcy that ever since Thor dropped from the sky, her life had been on fast forward, abruptly carrying her from being a near-broke college student with a political science degree to being a representative of one of the world's most powerful organizations. She still didn't understand why she, of all people, was selected to be the face of Earth's most shadowy group. There were certainly better and more experienced (read: older and possibly more mature) candidates with, admittedly, more finesse than she possessed. However the deed was done and whether people liked it or not, Darcy was now known as the person to go to with issues regarding SHIELD, the Avengers and any government that had business with them.

"Now's not the time for introspection," she huffed, refocusing on the task at hand. She was going to start making a list of the "Do's and Don'ts of helping Loki the Maniac take over the world" because she sure as hell wasn't killing anyone on his behalf. Being a political science major was, she decided, very useful for dealing with the God of Lies and Trickery. She was up until two in the morning working on it, but her list was finally done without any loopholes Loki might use against her.

"I should've been a damn lawyer," she chuckled, sliding gratefully into the huge bed that she had all to herself.

Forty-seven hours and thirty minutes after she had made the deal with Loki, Darcy found herself sitting on her couch back home, still in her pajamas, drinking hot chocolate with her breakfast and reviewing the contract she had written up one last time. Before she agreed or disagreed to work with him, she was going to ask him to look it over and truthfully tell her if there were any loopholes she had missed. She doubted he would actually tell her if she left him an opening, but it was worth a shot. Just as she was reading over the last paragraph, she felt a hand ghosting across the back of her neck. Rolling her shoulders at the sensation she looked around and found no one…visible to the eye at least. She narrowed her eyes at the spot where she thought he was before carefully setting her laptop down and waiting for him to show himself.

She wouldn't lie, Loki unnerved her quite a bit. The dude was evil and Manhattan was still in ruins because of him. As she waited, she thought back on all she knew of Loki and she didn't think there was a good bone in his body. First he tricked Thor into thinking their father was dead, then he sent the giant disaster machine to kill him (and probably most of the town), after that was the glow stick of doom with a lovely side dish of mind controlled friends and the alien invasion, and to top it off he was bugging her to help him in another take over the world scheme. The only reason she was helping him (besides the fact she didn't want to tick off a god) was that best case scenario the plan didn't work. Worst case, it did, but she knew that the team would put aside their differences to fight a common enemy. It was almost like a bonding ritual for them by now. That and shawarma after work. Darcy felt a tug on her hair and sighed. If anything, the trickster proved to be more annoying than frightening though. When she felt another tug at her hair she sighed, pulling her locks up into a ponytail.

"You're acting like you're five years old. I thought Thor was immature when I met him, but oh man, you're worse. What are you going to do next, push me in the sandbox?" she mocked. She had to hide her smirk behind her mug when she heard the low growl. Not a minute later the six foot two god was glaring down at her, green eyes glittering dangerously. The look made a chill creep over Darcy and her smirk fell away. Right, no mentioning the brother, that was a big no-no.

"Anyway," she said, quickly changing the topic, "Could you look over this list of mine? I think I covered all the loopholes you could ever extort but I want to be sure." Loki blinked, surprised by the rapid change in conversation before looking curiously at the computer.

"You would like me to point out any advantages I find in your work so that you may correct them?" he questioned, sounding amused, as he took a seat beside her.

"Yup, again, I think I got everything, but I want to be sure."

"I will look over your proposal but there is no guarantee that I will point out the flaws that I might take benefit from."

"Got it, O' God of Lies." She rolled her eyes, turning her laptop to him and scrolling to the top of the document. "When you're done reading I'm going to print it out and have you sign it."

"Why would I sign this?" he asked.

"It's a Midgardian thing. We sign contracts as a way to prove to each other that we will live up to the promises we make," she explained.

"What a strange realm this is," he chuckled, "But does this mean you're going to assist me?" Darcy let out a long-suffering sigh before nodding.

"Yeah, I'll attempt it, but it's not official until this has your signature and mine on it…and there will be no magically editing it later!" she added quickly. The god smirked, but turned to the screen. The smile quickly dropped from his face.

"What is this nonsense? How will you complete the task I have asked of you without lying?" he demanded.

"Easy, I work off of truths. Nobody can get along perfectly well with another person. There will always be conflict. All I need to do is magnify the things that grate on their nerves about each other and they'll do the rest," she explained. Loki was staring at her with a pleasantly surprised expression on his face.

"My dear girl, I am starting to think you may be more mischievous than I first realized," he smirked. He had no doubt that if she had lived in the time when the Old Norse peoples worshipped the Asgardians as gods, she would have been an avid follower of his. He was an excellent lie-smith and knew that the best lies were those that held some truth. For her to cause such chaos simply based on what she knew to be true would be a great accomplishment. He was eager to see how her endeavor would turn out.

"You should've seen me when I was a teenager. I was much worse back then…all rebellious and such. I even have the tattoo to prove it," she grinned, blue eyes dazed in past remembrance.

"A tattoo?"

"Yeah, a marking permanently etched into my skin," she gave a mysterious smirk, "Would you like to see?" Loki's face scrunched in disgust.

"I think not. May we get back to the matter at hand?" he said, motioning towards the computer. Darcy shrugged, wandering away into the kitchen. When she came back, a container of chocolate frosting in hand, she found Loki absorbed in his reading.

"Find anything else you have issues with?" she asked, dipping a finger into her chocolaty treat and sticking it in her mouth. He watched her eat the sugary confection with an expression of horrified fascination before shaking his head.

"No, there is nothing that I have come across in here that does not sound reasonable. If I had known that you would have so many reservations and restrictions in return for your assistance though, I would have sought help elsewhere," he sighed, only a slight quirk of his lips showing his amusement. The look did not escape Darcy's notice. Taking another swipe of chocolate, she smeared the dab across his cheekbone. Ever so slowly, he turned to look at her with an incredulous expression bordering on the murderous side of angry.

"And why, may I ask, did you feel the need to coat my face in that ridiculously sugary substance you have been eating?" he demanded, voice dropping to a dangerously low almost-whisper. Darcy shrugged, not quite sure of her reasoning either.

"Not sure, just had the urge to. It's rather tasty though. You want to try some?" she offered, holding the jar out to him.

"No, just get me something to wipe this stuff off with," he growled, scowling at her. A positively devious smirk spread across Darcy's face and Loki wondered what the strange human was thinking now. _Nothing good I'm sure_ he thought. Never before in all his visits to Midgard had he come across someone as bizarre as her. The girl's suddenly close proximity drew Loki from his musings on her behavior just in time for him to realize what she meant to do. Darcy leaned close and swiped her tongue along the frosting covered cheek, licking up most of the chocolate in one pass.

"Yum, chocolate covered demigod," she giggled, leaning back on the couch. One look at his face had the young woman breaking out into bouts of hysterical laughter. Loki's mouth was slightly agape, eyes wide, and _was he blushing?!_ It was too hilarious not to laugh at. She had managed to surprise the trickster god and it was great. He stood abruptly, anger taking over his features.

"Are you inebriated or under the influence of some mortal drugs?" he demanded. Darcy paused in her chuckling long enough to think about his question. She did have a new medication for migraines but she had yet to take any of it. It was too early in the day for a drink so she wasn't smashed.

"Nope, just me," she answered. He was looking at her as if she were some strange creature he had never come across before and he wasn't quite sure what to do about it.

"I think I will come back when you are acting slightly less insane," he finally told her. She snorted at that, taking another swipe of her frosting.

"Well in that case, I doubt you will ever be back. Good luck with your take-over-the-world plans I guess," she shrugged. He gave her a decidedly un-amused look.

"I will be back tomorrow evening," he glanced at her flannel pajama bottoms and tank top, "Perhaps you will be more appropriately dressed when I arrive." With that he did his vanishing trick, leaving Darcy sitting in her apartment, the taste of chocolate and spices still tingling on her tongue.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Ok all my wonderful peeps, here's the new chapter and it's early! So rejoice, lol. You're all lucky i'm working this weekend because i wouldn't be posting early otherwise, but yeah, Just a little disclaimer, the song Darcy sings is "Good Girls Go Bad" by Cobra Starship. It's a good song, i suggest listening. Now, just a reminder, review and you get a preview *hint hint*. Enjoy!

* * *

Loki hoped for the sake of his own sanity that the girl was going to act more appropriate this evening. Ever since he had approached her about his plan she had been so annoyingly confusing in her behavior. While she seemed not to care one way or the other that he was there and he was trying to take over her world (again), he knew she was still fearful of him at least some of the time. That last encounter with her though was perhaps the strangest of their conversations by far. He touched his cheek again, still feeling as though some of the offending substance was still on his skin.

"_I make them good girls go bad!_" He heard Darcy before he saw the girl and sighed, knowing that she would not, in fact, be acting any better than the last time.

"_I know your type, Boy you're dangerous, Yeah you're that guy, I'd be stupid to trust, but just one night couldn't be so wrong, You make me want to lose control_," he listened to her nonsensical singing along with the obnoxious song that was playing, waiting on her couch for the girl to reveal herself. When she came out of her bedroom, Loki was not prepared for the sight she presented. Darcy was in nothing but a pair of boy shorts, bra, a men's casual dress shirt worn no higher than at her elbows, and a pair of socks. She was still singing, completely oblivious to his presence, her eyes closed. She spun around at one point, presenting her back to him, and the trickster god was very surprised to see a set of familiar runes printed on her skin below an intricate design set in the middle of her back. The design, which looked Celtic in nature, was a serpent curving alongside an elaborate "S", the four runes that spelled his name in Old Norse below that. Above the serpentine letter were the words "agent of chaos" written in flowing letters. He only had a moment to examine the marking before Darcy spun around again, her blue eyes zeroing in on him and going wide in surprise. She made an odd squeaking noise before pulling the overly large shirt up to cover herself and running back into her room, slamming the door behind her. Loki smirked, pleased with her shocked reaction. When she dared reemerge from her room she was fully clothed and still red from embarrassment.

"Hi," she mumbled, choosing to sit in the chair across from him rather than with him on the couch.

"Hello," he greeted, laughter still in his voice. She scowled, hearing his amusement.

"So let's get this over with. You read over the whole thing last time before you ran away, right?" she asked, already pulling the document up on her computer. His humor immediately died at her statement.

"I did not 'run away' Miss. Lewis. I found your behavior inappropriate and so decided to come back at another time when you would be less offensive," he sneered. She threw a knowing look his way, peering at him over the thick black frame of her glasses.

"Right, well, did you read over this or not?" she repeated.

"Yes, I have read the entirety of your restrictions. Although I am inclined not to adhere to the portion about not killing any of your heroes, I do not see any issue with simply restraining them until after my rule is in place. An exception may have to be made regarding the beast though," Loki told her.

"Fair enough," she nodded, knowing the Hulk could kick Loki's ass without breaking a sweat, "Well then, I'll just print this thing out."

"I am very curious Miss. Lewis, how do these contracts you humans make keep you from still going back on your word?"

"Usually there's a third party involved that is willing to step in if either side doesn't keep up their end of the deal. I don't suppose there is a third party that you're willing to involve though," Darcy explained.

"I'd rather not," he sneered at the thought of telling _anyone_ with any amount of power over him what he was up to or even that he was back on Midgard.

"Fine, since you're all magical and shit can you like, I don't know, enchant a pen or something that if either of us, particularly you, break the deal something horrible will happen?" she asked, looking at him expectantly. He raised an eyebrow at her, giving her an arch look before a smirk graced his face. God did that look make Darcy want to break out the chocolate frosting again.

"I do believe I can manage something like that," he finally responded, picking up a pen from the coffee table and staring at it for a moment.

"There you are Miss. Lewis, your _enchanted_ pen," he chuckled. She glared at him suspiciously for a moment, picking up her computer and hooking it up to her printer to print out the contract.

"You understand if I would like to test it first, right?"

"But of course. What shall the terms be?"

"What's the punishment?"

"For you, I believe the consequence is losing your voice for a day," Loki smirked at her grimace.

"Laryngitis, gee, thanks. What about you?" she grumbled, leaning her hip against the desk and crossing her arms, looking at him expectantly.

"Something far less pleasant, I assure you."

"Tell me exactly," she demanded. He gave her a warning look, but decided to indulge her curiosity.

"I will lose the use of my more advanced magical abilities for a period of time," he sighed, face scrunching in distaste at the thought. The smile that spread across her face made Loki wonder if you could actually injure your face while smiling.

"I like those terms. Alright then, let's see, as a test run you're not going to be allowed to pop into my apartment anymore unless it's an emergency. You _will_ learn to use the front door and you will learn to knock," she told the god, giving him a pointed look. She scribbled out her demand on a blank piece of paper before holding it out to Loki.

"Don't pick anything too crazy, I have to actually be able to do whatever it is you choose," she mumbled as he took the paper and pen from her.

"To be truthful with me at all times, that is all I will ask," he told her, writing it down in his own elegant handwriting before signing the quick contract. Darcy read over what he wrote before also signing it.

"I want to test it out," she immediately decided, looking toward the God of Mischief expectantly. He rolled his eyes, but decided to humor her.

"Do you fear me?" he asked the first question that came to mind. This gave the young woman pause in her excitement, seriously thinking the question over.

"Yes and no. Initially yeah, you scared the hell out of me, but I tend to take most things in stride regardless of whether they scare me or not. Now, you still scare me when you get all moody, but not all the time," she explained. He was impressed with her confession and a bit annoyed that she was able to answer so easily. He thought for sure she would try to deny fearing him. Another question came to his mind just then, one she had avoided earlier.

"When I spoke to you in your office, you said that every child deserves to have both parents in their lives. What were you thinking when you said that?" Loki was intensely curious as to why that seemed like such a personal topic to her and wondered if her own family life was the reason for her concern. Darcy's face scrunched into a glare, and she stormed away from him, running her hand through her hair in agitation.

"That is an off limits topic," she growled. The man grinned, green eyes following her as she paced.

"You promised to be truthful," he reminded her.

"Even if I do lose my voice for a day, I will _not_ tell you about that," she barked, anger quickly rising, much to the trickster's surprise.

"Suit yourself," he shrugged, leaning back in his seat. He wasn't willing to anger his newly acquired accomplice. If she wished to avoid the topic, he would simply bring it up at a later date. He watched Darcy pace for another moment before she seemed to have an idea and she turned to face him.

"Does me refusing to answer your question count as a lie?" she asked. He shrugged.

"I suppose not, but it's also not precisely being truthful with me. I suppose we will see tomorrow what the outcome is. Now, is that infernal contract of yours ready or not? I do have other places to be," he complained. Darcy rolled her eyes, but took a look at the ancient printer in the corner, the machine just coughing out the last page.

"Yeah, it's ready," she stated, sorting through and putting all the pages in order before stapling them together. She scanned the thing one more time before handing it over. Loki signed it with an air of boredom and carelessness.

"There, your silly list of restrictions is signed," he mumbled. Darcy grinned, signing the document herself before tucking it away in a drawer in her desk.

"Thanks Loki," she told him, heading for the kitchen and expecting him to just poof away to do other villainy stuff. She had a quick mental image of him standing over Jane while she was tied to railroad tracks and twirling a patented bad guy mustache. Wow, she really had to cut back on the black and white films. The image did make her laugh though.

"And what, may I ask, is going through that head of yours that is so entertaining?" the god's voice made her jump in surprise, almost dropping the container of soup in her hands.

"Dude, I thought you would've taken off by now," she told him, avoiding the question.

"I find myself curious about a few things and thought that while I was here I might as well get answers, especially now since that little experimental contract of ours is signed," he smirked, sitting at one of the island counter's barstools. Darcy rolled her eyes but decided to humor the trickster god. It's not like she could kick him out anyway.

"Alright then, ask away."

"What was so entertaining?"

"I had a mental image of you as a bad guy from an old twenties movie," she answered, figuring that was enough of an answer for him.

"A 'twenties movie' as in those silent black and white films?"

"Yeah, those…particularly the ones where the bad guy ties the damsel in distress to a railroad," Darcy snickered as the image appeared in her mind again. Glancing over her shoulder, she found Loki with a look of distaste gracing his features.

"You have quite a strange imagination mortal," he informed her.

"And don't I know it," she laughed. There was a moment of silence as Darcy went about heating up soup for dinner and staring at the chocolate frosting on the counter, happy memories of licking it off the god sitting at her counter playing through her head.

"When did you get that...tattoo, you called it?" he asked, startling her from her day dreaming.

"Oh, the one on my back? Yeah, I suppose you would've seen that. I got it when I was about…oh, seventeen, eighteen, so about four, five years ago now. Why?" she questioned.

"Did you pick the design?" he asked, ignoring her question.

"Sort of. I told my friend I wanted something cool and he came up with it. I knew I wanted words and a design to represent me at the time though. I think he did a good job, I'm happy with it," she smiled, resting her hand on her shoulder, thinking about her marking with what seemed to be affection. Loki smirked, knowing she would be very upset if she knew what the ink truly represented.

"I couldn't help but notice the runes. Do you know what they mean?" he asked innocently.

"Um, my friend didn't find a direct translation for me but he said the English words were a close translation. Why? Do you know what it means?"

"Yes."

"And?" She tapped her foot impatiently.

"It's my name in Old Norse," he told her, a look of absolute glee on his face at the expectation of her reaction. He was not disappointed. She gaped at him for a moment, looking completely shell shocked before her face heated in what he supposed was anger at her friend and embarrassment that she had his name permanently etched in her skin.

"I'm going to kill him," she finally growled, turning back to her cooking. His soft laughter did not escape her notice. Choosing to ignore him, she went about getting her meal finished, sitting across from him and eating her food. The god did not seem inclined on leaving any time soon and that just annoyed Darcy even more.

"Didn't you have other bad guy stuff to do?" she snapped at him.

"Yes, I suppose I should be doing other things, but I find you so much more entertaining at the moment," he grinned. She rolled her eyes, becoming even more annoyed and wondering why the universe hated her. _I mean, really, he just had to appear when I was dancing around in my underwear, any other time would've been fine, but no, he couldn't have a better sense of timing_, she groused in her head. Darcy really didn't want to deal with him any more tonight, she was tired and had work in the morning, flying off to god knows where. Looking around as she was desperately thinking of a way to get him to leave, her eyes landed on the jar of frosting. A positively wicked grin spread across her face as she got up and dumped her empty dishes in the sink. Loki, noticing the change in her, wondered what she was up to now. His green eyes tracked her movements as she cleaned up from her meal before she picked up something from the counter. His eyes widened slightly as he saw her walking back towards her seat with the container of chocolate confection in her hands.

"You're going to eat that again?" he asked, lip curling into a sneer.

"Yeah, I mean, it's just so _delicious_," she said, grinning at him, her wicked intentions showing through her expression.

"I don't see how you can stand to eat _that_, it seems completely, disgustingly sweet," he said.

"But that's what makes it good. Besides, you can always just put frosting on something to make it taste better," she smirked.

"Do you mean to make the frosting or the object taste better?" he questioned, keeping a close eye on her and ready to vanish if she made to smear any of that dessert topping on him.

"Well, frosting can be too sweet, but I find it tastes better with a little spice," the grin on her face could be called nothing but devious…it made Loki uncomfortable. He stood abruptly, backing a few steps away from the counter.

"I think it time that I depart for the evening. I will be back in three days' time to inquire about your progress. Until then Miss. Lewis," he nodded to her before vanishing. _I have to know how he does that_ she thought.

"Well now I know how to get rid of an annoying god. Break out the frosting," she giggled to herself.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning found Darcy pacing in her office, her thoughts racing a million miles a second. SHIELD was sending her to Italy for the next four days which meant that Loki would have to probably do a little searching if he wanted to talk to her, but she wasn't particularly worried about that. No, she was more concerned with how she was going to try and break the team apart. Darcy had a plethora of secrets stored in her mind from eavesdropping on conversations back in the day when she was an invisible little college student who worked with Jane. With her new job she couldn't exactly sneak around anymore, but she still picked up juicy tidbits here and there. The only question now was how to use them. She had never exactly used her talents of gossip for evil before and so wasn't exactly sure how to go about it.

"Hey sweetie pie, what has you looking ready to duck and cover?" Tony's voice from the doorway of her office made Darcy jump half a foot in the air.

"God dammit! I wish people would stop sneaking up on me!" she shouted, trying to calm her racing heart. Tony's joking grin dimmed slightly as he took a good look at her. While Darcy had always been a bit on the pale side, she now looked ghostly, her slightly curled hair was a frizzy mess today and her suit a bit rumpled looking.

"You ok Darcy? You're not looking too hot today," the Iron Man asked, stepping into the room. The young woman let out a huge sigh, falling into her chair.

"Not really. I ate too much sugar and didn't sleep last night. I slept through my alarm this morning, and I have this big conference in Venice I'm going to for the next four days. I swear one more last minute trip like this and I'm taking all my vacation days at once. I'd like to see what SHIELD does without me then," she huffed, shuffling through the papers on her desk.

"Ouch, sounds rough. Not as bad as getting tossed around like a ragdoll during training with the jolly green giant, but yeah," Tony grinned, managing to get a smirk from her.

"So, you never texted me, what's going on with Pepper and the baby?" Darcy asked, changing the subject so she wouldn't have to think about work anymore than she already had to. The older man's face immediately scrunched into what Darcy could only describe as an expression like a five year old pouting.

"I hate it when you're right. We're having twins. Pepper was so excited that we spent the past four days entirely redoing half of Stark Tower. From what the doc says one of them is definitely a boy. He couldn't tell what the second one was because Thing One was in front of Thing Two," he explained. To her credit, Darcy managed to keep in her laughter until he was done talking.

"Thing One…and…Thing Two?" she gasped out, trying to breathe and laugh at the same time. She was wiping tears from her eyes at this point.

"Yeah, just until Pep and I pick out names. We already know we're naming the boy Howard," Tony's face turned serious, lost in his memories of his own father. Darcy's amusement died away and an understanding look crossed her face.

"You're going to be great Tony, you and Pepper both. What about the other one? Got any names picked out?" she asked.

"Yeah, for a girl we're going to name her after my mom, Pepper insisted. If it's a boy he's being named after Pepper's father. I thought it was only fair," the man smiled at the thought of his kids.

"That's great! I suppose you'll need to take time off away from the team. You're going to need to get ready for those two hellions to come into the world. Plus they're going to need a lot of care after they're born," Darcy mused.

"Yeah, true," Tony chuckled at some thought he had before sharing, "Nick's not going to take too kindly to me having to stay at home." Darcy had to laugh at that. No, Nick Fury would not be happy that one of his heavy hitters would be out on paternity leave.

"Well Fury can suck it up. It's only right that you're there to help Pepper," she told him.

"Well, I'm not going to be gone the whole time. I'm sure Pepper and I will drop in every now and then to show off the kids. You'd never guess it, but Romanoff is kind of excited about being a surrogate aunt…well, as excited as she ever is about anything," he told her.

"I can't imagine her being the type of person to like kids, but that just goes to show that you can't judge people on what you see." The brunette shrugged.

"I think Bruce is actually kind of excited too. He keeps telling us all these stories of when he was in India and the babies he delivered. I'm even happier now that Pepper is going to a hospital," he sighed. She couldn't help but laugh. Banner had shared some stories with her as well when she prodded and she could only imagine the horrified look on Tony's face as he heard what the good doctor had been doing. Even though the man was a physicist he had apparently picked up a thing or two about medicine in his travels.

"Well you guys have been working together for what now? A year and a half? I'm not surprised you guys act like a family of misfits. I bet even Clint wouldn't mind having rugrats running around," she smirked at the idea of the archer babysitting.

"My kids are going to have the most kickass family of superheroes ever," he said laughing, "Now you have a flight to catch. I'll see you when you get back."

"Thanks Tony. By the way, just a bit of advice from one screwed up kid to another, family first, always," she said before ducking out of her office and heading for her ride out on the flight deck. As she was traversing the labyrinth that was SHIELD, she caught sight of Natasha ahead of her, casually dressed for once.

"Nat!" The assassin paused, waiting for Darcy to catch up so they could walk together.

"What's up?" the redhead asked.

"I'm just heading out for that four day conference. Are you going too? At least for the party they're holding?" she asked the petite woman.

"No, Fury said he would be attending that himself. I'm going on a mission with Barton in two days. I hear Banner and Thor are your back-up," Natasha informed the girl. The brunette couldn't help but laugh.

"For one, I can't imagine Fury taking the time to attend a party like this. Hell, I can't even imagine him in anything but that kickass leather jacket of his. Secondly, Bruce and Thor as backup? Those two are the most conspicuous people on the planet. Something is definitely going to go wrong if those two are there," she explained. She was happy that she managed to get a smile from the Black Widow, which if anyone met her, would know is damn impossible.

"If anyone can handle those three, I'm sure it's you. You've done this a thousand times before kid. It's just one more party with your friends watching your back," she smirked.

"You know, if I ever need my ego stroked, I'm coming to you." The Widow gave an indulgent smile but made no other comment. The two walked in silence until they reached the door for the flight deck where they would have to go their separate ways.

"Good luck Darcy, not that you need it," Natasha gave her a genuine smile this time.

"Thanks, by the way, try not to get pregnant while on the mission with Clint. I know you two have your sexy fun times after a job well done, but we don't need three expecting parents on the team at the same time," Darcy laughed, ducking outside before the shorter woman could take a swing at her. With a carefree laugh, the young woman jogged across the airstrip to her ride.

"You know I don't trust that look of yours Miss. Lewis," Nick Fury told her when she plopped down in the seat next to him. The comment only made her grin grow wider.

"What look would that be?" she asked, looking completely innocent. He gave her a warning look, remaining silent. Darcy fidgeted for a while, unused to silence, looking through her files and stumbling upon the banquet invitation.

"Looks like you and I are going to a party," she finally said, waving the invitation around.

"I'll be attending with my wife. You're on your own for a date," the Director told her, remaining straight faced as always. Of course, Darcy's gaping, gob smacked expression brought a small smile of satisfaction to his lips. It wasn't often one could render Darcy Lewis speechless.

"You're married?!" she finally squeaked.

"Yes."

"Does your wife wonder where you are half the time?"

"She's a member of SHIELD, she knows what I do," he answered.

"Kids?"

"Teenagers in private school. Now Lewis, I think that's enough prying into my private life. You're lucky you got that much out of me." The amused look was gone and so Darcy knew to shut the hell up and focus on her work for the duration of the flight. She couldn't help but make one more comment though.

"Well I just hope Tony can balance family life with work as well as you seemed to. He's having twins and I don't know how well that man can multitask." With that said, Darcy left her boss to his thoughts, immersing herself in her work.

* * *

While Loki was usually a patient person, especially in the midst of one of his schemes, he found himself seeking out Miss. Lewis within two days of his last departure. When he grudgingly knocked on her apartment door in the early morning and received no reply, he transported himself inside, supposing that no response required investigation. What he found was a dark, empty space, no Darcy in sight. Was the little twit trying to avoid him? He doubted she would be stupid enough to think she could hide from him, but one could never be sure. Pacing around her living room, stewing in anger, he caught sight of a piece of paper on the coffee table. Looking at it, he was surprised it was addressed to him.

_Loki,_

_I have an assignment in Venice, Italy for the next four days. If you show up looking for me and I'm not home, don't get all pissy. I'm staying at Luna Hotel Baglioni if you want to find me. Oh, and I'm traveling with Thor, Bruce, and Fury, so might want to think twice before popping in suddenly. _

_ Darcy_

He was surprised that she bothered at all to write him a note. Considering how their previous encounters had gone, he would've thought she would make him seek her out. But here she was, telling him exactly where to find her, treating him as if he were one of her confidantes. She had also warned him of her traveling companions so he would not be caught unawares. Still baffled by the strange occurrence, Loki immediately went in search of his little mortal. In the blink of an eye he was standing in St. Mark's Square, surrounded by a swarm of humans.

"Disgusting," he mumbled, turning and heading in the direction of the hotel. He eyed the unassuming building for a moment before striding in as if he belonged there and went straight for the front desk.

"Miss. Lewis's room please," he demanded politely. One look at him and the lady at the desk immediately gave him the suite number. It was a quick walk and soon Loki found himself knocking on her door.

"Si!" he heard called from within. He opened the door cautiously, finding it unlocked, and stepped inside. He found himself in a sitting room decorated in creams, gold, and green. There was a small sitting area surrounding a fireplace to the right and a small table and chairs in the middle. To the left he saw the girl sitting, bent over a gilded desk by a set of stairs, reading over something.

"Miss. Lewis, I do believe I prefer this room to your current residence back in the States," Loki smirked as she jumped in surprise, turning to stare at him with wide blue eyes.

"Well, I didn't expect you so soon," she mumbled, turning back to her work and schooling her expression again.

"I found myself impatient and thought to inquire about your progress. When I appeared in your apartment I found that note. It was rather…thoughtful of you to tell me of your departure," he told her, taking a seat at one of the chairs in the center of the room.

"Well I didn't want you tearing the city apart looking for me or anything, not that you would. Anyway, I figured instead of you getting pissed off because I didn't happen to be home when you showed up, I should leave you a note," she shrugged, gathering her papers and putting them away. He raised a questioning eyebrow at her back as she went about the room, straightening her things, before finally turning to look at him.

"So have you made any progress?" he asked. She sighed, sitting in the chair across from him and taking her glasses off to rub at her eyes tiredly.

"Yeah, I started leaving little comments here and there. It's mostly about how Tony won't have as much time with the team because of the babies. Oh, yeah, Tony and Pepper are having twins," she grinned at the god across from her.

"May the fates be in his favor, he will need it," Loki muttered, looking slightly pitying at the thought of Iron Man having two babies to deal with.

"Really? I just think it's funny…and karma at work," she shrugged, yawning a bit.

"Tired?"

"Very much so, but hey, jetlag. Now, if all you came here for was a report, you got it. I'm going to take a nap because there's this huge party that I'm supposed to attend tonight," she told him, getting up and heading for the stairs. He stared after her a moment, looking thoughtful before an absolutely wicked grin spread across his features.

"When is the celebration intended to start?" he inquired casually.

"Around seven, why?" she asked, turning to look at him suspiciously. Darcy knew better than to trust that innocent looking smile on his face.

"I will be here at six thirty then. I would not miss an opportunity to join another Midgardian festivity," he smirked. Knowing she wouldn't be able to talk him out of going, she sighed, giving him a resigned look.

"Fine, whatever. Just don't look like yourself because Thor, Banner, and Fury will be there," she muttered before looking thoughtful, "And no taking anyone's eyeball either."

"I shall endeavor to do my best," he grinned, looking far too pleased with himself.

"Dammit, this isn't going to be good, is it?" she muttered. The god simply laughed, vanishing from her room once again.

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A/N: Ha, i put the note at the end this time! lol, but yeah, for those who are curious, here's a link to the hotel, yes, it's an actual place and it's beautiful.

www. baglionihotels en/ destinations/ venice/ luna-hotel-baglioni/ photogallery/ suites (take the spaces out after the / marks)

warning: classes are starting up for me again and so i will be super busy settling into my dorm, new roommate and all, so please be patient with what will most likely be super slow updates. Thanks for reading and as always, previews for those who REVIEW. Until next time lovelies!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: big, huge, mega-sorry to all my readers for the late update! school just started up again and you know how that is. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and if i get free time, i'm going to post chapter 7 early as reward for your wonderful patience. also, reviewers get a preview, just fyi. Enjoy!

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Loki was knocking on Darcy Lewis's door again at precisely six thirty that evening. He heard a series of thumping footsteps, a thud, followed by lots of cursing. By the time the door opened he had an amused look on his face. She was glaring at him, but he took no notice of her ire. Instead, he was observing her appearance and how different she looked once again. Her silky dark hair was pulled back from her face with sparkling hair bobbles, the usual curls styled into ringlets, just a few tendrils left loose around her neck to fall across her shoulders. Her blue eyes looked darker and brighter, her pale skin glowed slightly and her lips look so inviting. His eyes drifted lower, realizing she was holding her gown up, not having finished dressing before opening the door.

"Are you just going to stand there and stare with that creepy smile on your face or are you going to come in and help me?" she snapped, drawing him from his examination of her form.

"Help?" he questioned.

"Yeah, I can't do the clasps on the back of the dress and I can't find anyone to help me at the moment," she grumbled, turning her back to him and stomping back into the suite. His eyes traced the bit of her tattoo that was visible as he followed her. She glanced over her shoulder at him, looking at him expectantly. Rolling his eyes, he reached up, easily doing up the multitude of clasps along the back of her dress.

"Why would you choose to wear a gown you could not manage on your own?" he asked as he watched her straighten the dark green-blue fabric in the mirror.

"Because I completely forgot I needed to bring a dress with me and Natasha ended up saving my ass by having this one ready when I got here. Of course, leaving the fashion choice up to her, I would end up in something like this," she huffed, scowling at the outfit. _I'll have to congratulate the spider on her choice_ Loki mused, eyes drifting over Darcy's form again. The dress looked like it was based off a classic design and hugged her curves, flaring out slightly at the bottom. The straps were purposely off her shoulders, exposing an appealing amount of smooth skin. There was beading along the top and around the low waist of the gown, drawing the eye. Over all she looked quite different from the everyday and Loki was quite pleased with that.

"Thanks for the help. By the way, how are you dressing for the occasion?" the girl asked, turning away from him to go put on the jewelry she had laid out on the desk. He smirked, letting his magic wrap around him. When she turned back to him, earrings and necklace in place, she raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Nice tux, but what about your appearance? You're kind of recognizable," she pointed out.

"I only appear myself to you. If you look in the mirror you will see my disguise," he told her. She walked over, staring at his reflection.

"Well damn," she laughed. The person in the mirror looked nothing like the god standing next to her. The black hair had stayed but it was shorter and wasn't slicked back, falling naturally around his face. The pale skin was a shade darker and the sharp features softened. The only thing that remained was the green eyes, dimmed slightly so they didn't appear to glow yet remained intense looking all the same. He smirked at her reaction.

"Well then, shall we go?" he asked, holding his arm out to her.

"In a minute. First off I need details," he raised an eyebrow at this, "I can't go around calling you Loki. You have another name in mind? Also, Fury would skin you alive if I showed up with some stranger. I need to be able to tell him how the hell I know you." The god smiled indulgently at her rambling, waiting until all her curiosities were voiced.

"The few times I was on Midgard before, I went by the name of Luke Archer. You may call me that. As for how you know me, I'm an aide to the English ambassador. That would account for my accent and how you have met me previously," he explained. She grinned, hooking her arm through his as they headed for the door.

"Well that was easy. I don't know why I thought you would be unprepared for this," she chuckled at herself.

"I'm quite surprised you would ever think such a thing," he answered, lips twitching into an amused look. As they were waiting for the elevator, Darcy felt a slight rumbling through the floor and looked away from her date to see Thor coming up the hall with his stomping gait, grinning at her.

"Lady Darcy!" he called in his usual booming voice. She felt Loki tense next to her, ready for a fight. She gave his arm a warning squeeze before fully turning to the thunder god.

"Thor, I see you're all excited for the party. I'm surprised they found a tux to fit you," she laughed. The blond blushed slightly, shifting his weight nervously.

"Yes, well…Who might this be?" he asked, finally taking note of the man standing next to Darcy.

"This is Luke, he's my date tonight," she replied, grinning.

"Ah, Luke, it is an honor to meet you," Thor said, reaching out to shake the man's hand. The brunette noticed Loki flinch as his brother gripped his hand, but showed no other signs of discomfort.

"Yeah, well, we'll see you down there. There are some people I need to talk to before the party gets started. You should wait up for Bruce, but I'll see you two later," she told the big guy, grabbing Loki's arm again as the elevator door opened.

"Very well Lady Darcy. Luke, it was pleasant meeting you. Be sure to take care of my young friend. If I should find her distressed at all this evening I will be very upset with you," Thor's smiling face was at odds with the subtle threat in his words. She couldn't help but roll her eyes at the god's overprotectiveness.

"Thank you big brother. Now if you don't mind, I'm a big girl so I'm going to have fun with my date," Darcy told him, hitting the first floor button until the doors closed. She was surprised Loki didn't comment on the quick exchange with Thor, but she supposed he wanted to avoid talking about his brother at all costs what with their family issues. She could feel he was wound as tight as a bow string, ready for a fight, but she wasn't willing to risk making him snap and so remained silent. When they got down to the party, Darcy had to take a moment to calm her nerves before entering the large room, glad that Loki had calmed during the elevator ride. There were so many people and she didn't do well with crowds. It didn't help that a lot of these people were delegates she had to deal with from all different governments, most of whom she knew didn't like her just because of her age.

"Need I remind you to breathe throughout the evening?" Loki whispered, leaning down so she could hear him. She took a deep, shaky breath, eyeing the group of people.

"Maybe…a lot of people here don't like me," she sighed, staring down one old guy from China who was positively glaring at her. When he finally backed down, she turned her gaze to her date who was watching her curiously.

"I suppose considering your line of work, yes, a great majority of people would be distrustful of you. But I'm willing to wager that more people here wouldn't like me, if I chose to reveal my true self," he smirked. His statement made her chuckle, relaxing a bit more.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I think everyone here would either run away or try to kill you," she mused.

"Not that they would succeed."

"No, but Thor and Hulk would give you a run for your money. Although you got a nice little bag of magic tricks on your side so it might even out. Doubles would certainly confuse the green guy, I'm not sure if Thor would fall for that again, especially after the helicarrier incident," Darcy rambled, totally unaware of her date's incredulous stare.

"Do you always talk this much?" he asked when she finally stopped speaking.

"What can I say, I'm a political science major. I love thinking about hypothetical situations," she smirked, grabbing two flutes of champagne off a conveniently passing waiter. He just shook his head, taking a sip from the glass she handed him. The rest of the evening passed in a similar manner. Darcy would lead him around, stopping to talk to people here and there, but the majority of her attention stayed on him during the party, which he wasn't sure how he felt about. After she would finish talking with a diplomat, the girl would turn to him and explain all about who it was and what she thought of the person. While he didn't care much for her inane chatter most of the time, he found her complaints about some of the people quite amusing. While the first hour of the event kept him slightly entertained, it was during the second hour, after he and Darcy had talked to everyone of importance, that his boredom got the best of him. Eyeing the Chinese man that his mortal had glared at earlier, he waited until the man was taking a sip of his drink before unleashing some of his magic on him. The brunette at his side turned just in time to see the older gentleman tip his glass of scotch too far, choking on his drink and spilling the rest down the front of his shirt.

"That was you, wasn't it?" she asked bluntly, trying to hide her amusement and instead look more disapproving. She was failing. Loki simply smirked, taking another sip of his champagne.

"I'll give you points for effort but I thought you were the God of Mischief. I figured you would do something more entertaining than a spilled drink," she finally said, giving him a challenging grin. He blinked in surprise before a devious smile spread across his features.

"My dear, the night is still young," he replied. So for the next two hours, Darcy and Loki spent their time weaving through the crowd, Darcy pointing out people she really didn't like, and Loki causing some sort of chaos to the person. He was surprised to find that he did not, in fact, get bored quite as easily with the girl as he thought he would. The young woman had just pointed out a surly looking Frenchman to him when the two were approached by Nick Fury and a woman.

"Miss. Lewis," the man greeted, drawing her attention to him.

"Nick, what a surprise. Who might this be?" Darcy asked, seeming genuinely surprised that the director would approach her.

"This is my wife, Tanya. Who is your date here?" Fury demanded as politely as possible, staring at Loki who seemed as unruffled as ever.

"Oh, this is Luke Archer. He's the English ambassador's aide. We've run into each other a couple time through work and figured it would be cool attending this shindig together," she explained. Darcy may not have very much practice at lying (read: she could count on one hand how many times she lied in her whole life) but that didn't mean she was a horrible liar. Fury just nodded before reaching into his jacket pocket and holding out an envelope to the young woman.

"This came to you through your work mail. I figured it was very important and so decided to make sure it got to you right away," Nick told her before taking his wife's hand and striding away. She stood there in shock, not sure what to make of that encounter. Nick, fucking Fury was polite and not-menacing towards her…and he delivered her mail. That could only mean bad things in her future.

"Darcy?" Loki's voice pulled her from her doomsday thoughts and she looked down to the letter in her hand. It was from Good Samaritan Hospital in L.A. She felt all the color drain from her face as she looked at the address.

"I'm sorry, I think I've had enough partying tonight. I'm just going to go back to my room. I'll see you tomorrow," she told him, turning and practically fleeing from the grand space. Loki stared after her, his confusion clear on his face.

* * *

A/N: for those that are curious, here's the link to Darcy's dress. It's not exact, but it's my inspiration. add the dots where the spaces are, so on and so forth. I'm sure you know the drill.

transparentdream deviantart com /art/ Emerald-Victorian-Gown- 50869906?q=boost%3Apopular%20green%20gown&qo=20


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Ok, so this chapter is super short compared to the others, and it's chock full of cliches, but that's just how it went in my head. Since this part is so short, i'll be posting chapter 8 this weekend at some point, at the very latest, before Monday. Enjoy!

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Loki stayed at the party for another hour, his thoughts straying to Darcy every few minutes. He knew demanding what was wrong wouldn't get him the answers he wanted. She would just get angry and scream at him that it was none of his business. Although he thought she was entertaining when mad, he wasn't willing to push her at the moment. She had seemed truly upset and he still needed her to help him. Getting her to do his bidding was much easier when she was in a good mood. Scanning the crowd, Loki's eyes landed on his bumbling older brother. He loathed admitting it, but the man might actually have some useful information regarding his girl. Sighing at the fact that he had to stoop so low, Loki made his way through the crowd towards the other Asgardian.

"Thor, right?" he said by way of greeting. He jumped, but gave him a friendly smile all the same.

"Yes, and you are Lady Darcy's escort…Luke? Where is she?" he asked, immediately seeing that the young woman was not with him.

"A man she called Nick came over to us and gave her a letter. She seemed very upset and decided to retire early. I was wondering if you might know what it was about." Thor's overly cheerful expression dulled into a thoughtful frown.

"There is not very much that would disturb her. The only thing I can think of would be news of her family or her colleagues and even then I would probably hear of it first…" he trailed off, getting lost in his thoughts. Loki grumbled to himself, not knowing why he would bother with his clueless adoptive sibling.

"Thank you for the help. I shall see you another time hopefully," he said to the thunder god, making a quick exit from the party. Deciding it was worth her wrath, Loki made his way to Darcy's suite, intending to ask her himself. He knocked, received no reply, and so let himself in. The downstairs sitting room was dark, but he spotted a light from the upstairs portion of the space. Making his way slowly up the staircase so as not to startle his mortal, he was surprised to find her shoes, dress and jewelry strewn about the hall and into another sitting area where the god spotted his girl finally. She had traded her dress for a light green men's button down, thankfully actually having done up some of the buttons. She was out cold on the couch, tear tracks still fresh on her face, two empty bottles of wine on the nearby table next to a letter. How she managed to down two bottles within an hour and a half he would never understand, knowing humans had such a weak tolerance for alcohol. Across the room was a shattered mirror, glass littering the floor and drawing Loki's attention when he stepped on some of the shards.

"What happened to upset you so much dear girl," he murmured, looking from the glass to the sleeping woman. The only answer he got was a small whimper and her hair falling to curtain her tearful face. Looking at the glass for a moment, he watched as the mirror and what turned out to be a wine glass knit themselves back together again. Walking over, he scooped her up from the couch, being mindful of her lack of clothing, and went to set her on the bed in the adjoining room. Shutting off the lights in the bedroom, he shut the doors, going to look at that letter she seemed so upset about. He was surprised to find it was from a medical facility from the other side of the country.

_Dear Miss Darcy Lewis, _

_We regret to inform you that your father, Daniel K. Lewis, has passed away today, September twenty sixth, 2012, after his long battle with liver cancer. During his last days, he requested that we contact you and inform you of his last will and testament. A copy is enclosed along with a letter he personally wrote addressed to you. Our thoughts and prayers are with you in your time of grief. _

_Best Wishes, _

_Good Samaritan Hospital L.A. _

Loki stared at the piece of paper for a moment more, eyes continuing to rove over the first sentence. His little mortal's father had passed and remembering the sight of how upset she was made a tight feeling settle in his chest. The letter brought back thoughts of a time when his mind was clouded with resentment and a twisted need for approval from his own father and that was not something he wanted to contemplate about at the moment. Setting down the letter from the hospital, he picked up the other piece of paper, considerably more crumpled than the first. This one appeared hand written and was fairly stained with what he supposed were her tears.

_Darcy,_

_I know I wasn't the best father and I wasn't always in your life, but first and foremost I just want you to know that I love you. There are a lot of things in my life that I regret doing, but marrying your mother and having you wasn't one of them. You were such a lively and happy kid, I just couldn't stay and risk ruining your life. I'm sorry I wasn't around when you were growing up and certainly when your mother passed away, but I'm proud of you sweetheart. You made a life for yourself, you went to college, and it sounds like you earned an amazing job with great opportunities. I hope you surround yourself with people who deserve to be in your presence and share in your joy of life. Don't let go of that mindset darling, it's a rare jewel in this harsh world. I wish I could be there to tell you all of this in person, but I can't and I'm sorry for that. I hope you can forgive me one day for everything I put you and your mother through. Live your life Darcy and don't linger on the loss of an absent father. I love you, always have, always will._

_Love you,_

_Dad_

The tugging in his chest became more insistent the more he read. With each sentence he realized something new about the girl he had influenced into helping with his scheme. Her family appeared to be just as broken as his own, if not more so. How could she be so naïve and animated when it sounded as if her family was shattered? The letters and unidentified emotions coursing through him sent Loki into a state of turmoil he did not wish to be in at the moment, especially in the midst of one of his schemes. Setting the papers back down, the trickster decided to leave his thoughts and questions for the morning, retreating to the other bedroom in the suite. Sleep and a clear mind in the morning would help him understand what exactly he was feeling and how he could stop.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Yay! next chapter as promised! it may not be early but at least it's on time. I hope you all enjoy this one even if it's emotionally charged.

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Darcy woke the next morning with a splitting headache and unaware of where she was exactly. It took a while for her hazy mind to recall last night, the party, the letters, but when she did, she groaned, wishing for nothing more than to sleep and forget, but knowing it was impossible. Once she was awake, she was up for the day, and craving coffee. Stumbling out of bed, she made her way over to the doors, quickly shielding her eyes when she stepped out into the blindingly bright room.

"Ah, she lives," a far too familiar voice said, sounding amused.

"What are you doing here?" she groaned, daring to peek open one eye. The room was much dimmer than when she first came out, the shades having been drawn. She sighed in relief, uncovering her eyes and sitting next to the God of Lies on the couch. For a moment they just sat in silence, Darcy attempting to suppress her hangover migraine and Loki apparently doing the crossword…in Italian.

"Breakfast?" he suggested after a moment.

"Yeah, sure…but again, what are you still doing here?" she asked, blinking open her eyes again to find a tray of goodies on the table in front of her.

"You departed rather abruptly from the gala last night and I was curious as to what was bothering you," he explained. Darcy's eyes fell to the open envelope, eyeing the letters she knew she hadn't folded neatly last night.

"You read them." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes."

"You had no right." Her voice was all venom as she glared at him. He was taken aback for a moment by the malice in her voice before recovering.

"Well it's too late to take it back now. I do have a few inquiries though," he shrugged, choosing to ignore the girl's glare.

"Well I don't see what's stopping you from asking," she finally grumbled, taking a large bite out of an apple.

"Considering the topic of conversation, I thought it appropriate to ask for permission this one time instead of forgiveness," the man next to her said.

"Fine, but if I'm going to be talking about my shitty family life, you have to as well," she demanded. Loki tensed up, anger quickly rising. How dare she demand that of him? Looking back at the letters on the table and then to his mortal's apprehensive expression he sighed, knowing it was only fair.

"Fine."

"Good, first question to you I guess," she half growled, curling up on the couch and turning to face him. Loki tried to ignore the fact that she was in nothing but her underwear and a men's shirt, but it was difficult when those long legs were on display and she was wearing his colors. His eyes drifted over her form quickly before he looked her in the eyes to ask his first question.

"I suppose I'm most curious about the relationship between you and your father," he drawled, unsure if he even really wanted to know this. He knew he was already becoming attached to the girl, drawn in by her sarcasm and quick tongue. If he knew just how similar they were, how would he feel about her then? But it was too late to take back the words, his pride wouldn't let him. The girl sitting across from him let out a long suffering sigh before glowering at him again.

"Ok, so, my parents didn't exactly plan on having me first of all, but they were great parents, at least, my mom was. When I was about four or five I started clueing in that my family life wasn't all peaches and cream. Dad would come home drunk and then drink some more. He'd get violent, hit my mom once or twice. He never touched me but, the shouting and the breaking stuff was bad enough. It got worse too. During the day when he was sober, he was like, the world's greatest dad or something. He would play with me and tell me stories. He took me to the park and the carnival when it was in town. It was like…he really loved me or something.

"Then he goes and does a Jekyll and Hyde. He would say he was just having a small drink, just one beer or something. Well, one turned into three, and a beer became a bottle of vodka. He would say things about me and mom, stuff I didn't get at the time, but now that I'm older, I wish I hadn't heard him say. He was like that until I was six years old. I remember he came into my room looking like hell and he said that he couldn't take me to the park tomorrow. I asked him why but he just sighed, hugged me and left. It was just me and mom after that. We didn't hear from him, didn't try to find him, nothing.

"Mom passed away when I was sixteen and I was left on my own. I have some aunts and uncles, even some cousins, but we were estranged from the rest of the family. They didn't want anything to do with me. So with my dad MIA and mom gone I was put into foster care. Two years I bounced around from house to house, living with a different family almost every two months until I was eighteen. After that I used whatever money I had earned and inherited in addition to scholarships to put myself through school. I got that internship with Jane and the rest I'm sure you pretty much know." By the time she was done talking, Darcy had fresh tears spilling down her face and she looked like she wanted to break something. To his credit, Loki gave her time to compose herself before speaking.

"I did not realize that your father was…like that," he said awkwardly after a moment. She choked out a bitter laugh, dropping her half eaten apple back onto the tray as she stood to pace.

"What? You didn't think my father was a complete bastard?" she yelled pausing in her stride long enough to give him a cold look. Loki didn't rise to her anger, instead, remaining calm for once.

"If he left when you were so young, how did he know where to send the letter?" the god asked after a moment.

"The internet I'm sure. As a hugely influential liaison I need to have some form of contact information available. SHIELD has a website that looks like any other government webpage just…less info about what they do. My information is on there. I'm sure with some internet searching 'daddy dearest' found me," she growled.

"And what of this illness he died of?" Loki inquired, easing away from the topic of her family past.

"Liver cancer is when the liver becomes diseased and it can be from a multitude of reasons. For my dad, it was because he was an alcoholic. The body can't function without that organ and so when it stops working, the body shuts down," she explained, falling back down onto the couch, looking worse than when she first emerged from her room. Loki, for his part, knew that she had reached the end of her patience and was done talking about it for now. The odd tugging feeling in his chest, which he thought would cease with his curiosity sated, instead became more insistent. Was it sympathy? He supposed it was. He and this girl were more alike than he ever cared to admit and he did not like the thought of being comparable with a being lesser than him. They remained silent for a few long moments, each strewing in their own unpleasant thoughts, until Darcy decided to break the uneasy stillness.

"Ok then dude. I've shared my horrid past, it's your turn," she told him, looking at the god expectantly. He eyed her warily, unsure how much Thor had told these little mortals.

"What has Thor said to you?" he demanded. The brunette looked taken aback by the harsh words, but shrugged it off, thinking of what little information she had on the green-eyed god across from her.

"Well he told me you were sort of adopted. Honestly I didn't get much because my usual eavesdropping skills have been compromised by my actual important job at SHIELD now," she shrugged.

"So my idiot brother never actually told you anything?" Loki looked surprised by the fact.

"Nah, he told Jane, and as I sort of said, I was listening in but I didn't get the whole conversation because I had to be in China in the next few hours," she sighed, looking upset that she hadn't been able to get the whole discussion. The put out expression brought a slight smile to Loki's face, but it was gone as soon as it appeared. He was not looking forward to the impending conversation and the girl's likely reaction of running from him screaming for Thor.

"I suppose in a sense I am adopted," he muttered, leaning forward to avoid her curious blue gaze.

"From another realm, right?" she asked for clarification.

"Yes, it is a place called Jotunhiem. It is a frozen wasteland much like your Arctic Circle I suppose," he described.

"I heard somewhere that people from there are blue…but you aren't. Why?" her question caught him off guard. Loki did not like the feeling of being caught unawares and tensed, wanting to strike out whether with words or magic he wasn't sure. He turned to her, sharp words on the tip of his tongue, but they died in his throat as he saw the unabashed curiosity on her face. It was such a childlike expression that he could not find it within himself to reprimand her. He let out a long suffering sigh, not missing the triumphant smirk on her face as she inched closer.

"I do not know why I indulge your strange requests of me. You are a simple, rather unremarkable mortal, not worthy of my time," the god muttered, running his hands through his hair.

"Then why approach me at all?" she countered. He scowled, not even knowing the answer to that himself. He knew he needed someone with access to the Avengers, but there were a multitude of others he could have chosen to assist him. He could not say with any sort of certainty what made her stand out as more useful than any other, intriguing personality aside.

"My dear girl, I approached because your assistance was necessary in my little plot," he smirked, the lie rolling off his tongue easily. She looked at him questioningly and he got the feeling that she knew he was lying, which should have been impossible. He was the God of Lies for a reason. However, she decided to let it slide. She fell silent which Loki had learned quickly was not a pleasant sign. When she suddenly jumped up from her seat he flinched, surprised by the quick movement. He watched curiously as she disappeared into her room and listened to her rummaging around.

"Ah-ha!" she yelled, sounding like a child who has just found candy. She came back into the room, looking quite devious. The god narrowed his eyes at her, wondering what she was holding behind her back.

"I do not like nor trust that look of yours girl. What is it you went to find?" he demanded, sitting straighter and ready to distance himself should she do something undesirable. He was just glad that she couldn't possibly have any of that _frosting_ substance with her.

"I'm just curious about something," she answered innocently, her voice rising in pitch slightly, making her sound even more childlike. He arched an eyebrow, giving her a half amused, half curious look. Without another word Darcy settled herself on his lap, facing him, with a jar of something in her hand, ignoring how he tensed at the action. She quickly spun the lid off the jar, dipped her fingers in and attempted to smear the gel-like substance across his cheek. Having learned from the first experience, Loki was ready and grabbed her wrist, albeit gently, stopping her from putting the blue substance on his face. He narrowed his eyes at her wide-eyed look of surprise.

"Dare I ask what you have tried to put on my face this time?" he growled, eyes darkening in anger. The girl in his lap paid no mind to his ire, simply holding up the jar.

"Hair gel?" he read, eyes going from the label to her mischievous blue eyes.

"I was curious what you would look like if you were blue. Granted this probably isn't the best, but its close enough," she shrugged, starting to wipe to goo off her fingers onto a nearby discarded shirt. Loki's annoyance was quickly transforming to rage and Darcy recognized she probably over stepped her boundaries. Before she could sincerely apologize and get away, the god grabbed both her wrists in an almost painful grip, drawing them both to their feet, his form towering over hers.

"Do you dare to mock me mortal? You speak of things you do not know with such ease. You know not of the horrors Laufey invited to Jotunhiem or the wrath with which Odin and Thor attacked the Jotun. War breeds monsters Miss. Lewis. To the Asgardians, the Jotun are the creatures that haunt children's nightmares. The frost giants are abominations to be feared. I was raised with the belief that those frozen creatures were lesser beings, no better than animals. For centuries I thought myself above them. Imagine finding out you are the thing you hate. Could you joke about it then child?" he ranted, dropping her wrists in favor of gripping her shoulders hard enough to bruise. She whimpered at the feeling of his hands digging into her skin, but she refused to drop her gaze from his, remaining defiant in the face of his near madness. _Was this what he was like last year? Was this the kind of insanity that drove him to bring the aliens to Earth?_ Darcy thought as she watched his intense green eyes.

"I wouldn't mock you Loki. I might tease and joke, but I would never purposely be mean. I think I've had enough cruelty to last me a lifetime and I don't wish it on anyone else. I just wish you could see past the supposed monster," she told him, voice never getting above a whisper. His face contorted into a sneer. Releasing her, the god backed away.

"What do you know of monsters Miss. Lewis? Can _you_ see past the evil?" he demanded, pacing the room agitatedly. That comment more than anything, sparked Darcy's anger. She had been patient, put up with his bizarre mood swings from playful to superior, remained calm in the face of his rage, but she would not put up with this.

"You _know_ what I've dealt with Loki!" she screamed, throwing the letters at the surprised god, "My own father was a drunken bastard who would call me a whore's daughter almost every night when I was only five! You asked me if I could see past the evil. You asked what I know of monsters. I grew up with one for a father. I managed to deal with the fact that my own flesh and blood thought I was worthless. Despite everything that man did to my mother and me, I still loved him. I cried my heart out for a man I haven't seen or spoken to in seventeen years, a man that might as well have been a stranger. So yeah, I can see past evil, I also know what evil looks like. You, my friend, have severely misguided intentions fueled by centuries' worth of resentment. That doesn't make you evil, you just have bad ways of trying to get a good outcome," the girl gave a short, bitter laugh before storming back to her room and slamming the doors shut, leaving the stunned God of Mischief to think over her words.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Early update! rejoice! lol, but yeah, this chapter takes a trip through the wonderland that is loki's mind, so enjoy.

* * *

"Why the hell am I even here?" Darcy sighed, looking towards her friend as they relaxed on the beach.

"Because you need some time to cope. Look at it this way, you're getting all that vacation time you needed and what better place than Hawaii?" Jane told her, flashing a small smile.

"So this has nothing to do with my near mental breakdown and follow-up of my blackout drinking binge afterward?" she asked, peeking at the scientist over her sunglasses, daring her to deny it. Jane, never having been a good liar, sighed and looked over at her former assistant.

"Listen, we're all worried about you. You took the death of your father pretty badly and we just want to make sure you're alright," she explained.

"Right, make sure I'm fine," Darcy grumbled, leaning back and pointedly ignoring Jane again. It wasn't just her father's death that was getting to her and she knew it, but that didn't mean she had to let the others know. After the fight with Loki she had forced herself to go to the conference, hoping work would take her mind off of it. Half an hour in she had broken down crying, excused herself and gotten a substitute from SHIELD to fill in for her. She then proceeded to fly home, hunt down the Captain and Tony and force them to go out drinking with her. Darcy could see the irony in it, going out drinking to forget when her father just passed away from liver cancer brought on by his alcoholism. That thought had made her burst into a mix of sobs and laughter. The next morning she went into the office with a killer hangover only to find Fury and Jane.

"I don't want to see you back here until you've pulled yourself together Lewis," he had told her. So she basically had the next month off. The first three days she was in California, burying her father and visiting her mom at the cemetery. Jane was a much needed presence during those times and Darcy wasn't sorry at all she had stolen the astrophysicist away from Thor for a while. From California the two had flown to Hawaii and spent the whole time sitting on the beach. It had only been a week and a half since Fury had forced this vacation on her and Darcy was feeling restless and angry. She felt like she wanted to find a certain god and bash his handsome face in with a crowbar. Jane, for her part, could recognize something was bothering the younger woman and that she might need some thinking space.

"I'm going to get us a couple of drinks. I'll be right back," she said, getting up and leaving Darcy alone on their private beach.

"Thank god for private hotel villas," the brunette grumbled, glad Jane had left her alone for the first time since this whole trip began. Darcy hated being like this. She hadn't felt this hollow and angry since her mom died. It was much easier to be the carefree one, the kid, the jokester of the group. She wasn't the one going off and fighting the freak of the week. The only battles Darcy entered were those that took place in meeting rooms. She fought with her wits, not a sword. Knowing where these thoughts led and not liking it, Darcy grabbed the bottle she had stashed under her chair, away from Jane's sight. The liquor burned going down her throat but it felt good. She quickly hid the bottle when she heard Jane yelling something from the deck of their house, something about some urgent thing and Thor. She just waved in acknowledgment at her friend, waiting until she was sure the petite woman was back in the house before pulling the drink out again.

"Good thing I grabbed a full bottle," she sighed, glancing over her shoulder and finding no sign of Jane. So sitting there alone on the beach, Darcy continued to sip at the alcohol, wishing, for a just a moment she could forget the pain in her chest and the intense green stare she saw whenever she closed her eyes.

* * *

It was dark when Loki arrived on the beach. It had taken him far too long to calm down from the argument he had with Darcy and he was slightly concerned that in her anger she had ruined his plans by telling others he was on Midgard. Appearing in her apartment, he was distressed to see that the place was dark and her wardrobe empty. The empty beer bottles strewn everywhere only made his concern grow. Ever calculating, even in his slight panic, Loki went to find someone with knowledge of his little moral at the SHIELD facility, hiding in the shadows. He was pleasantly surprised that it did not take long at all to find someone talking about his girl.

"So have you heard from our girls yet?" the Iron Man was asking Thor as the two walked down some corridor.

"Jane has contacted me, yes. She is very worried for Darcy. Apparently she is not handling the death of her father well. Right now she tells me they are in a place called Hawaii and spending their days on a beach," the blonde answered, concern written across his features.

"I wouldn't worry about it Point Break. If I know one thing about Lewis, it's that she's stubborn as all hell. She won't let this gnaw at her much longer. Those two will be back before Darcy uses all of her vacation days I bet," the shorter of the two laughed, voices echoing as they continued on their way. Loki had heard all he needed to know. Within seconds the god had transported himself across the country. He scowled at the sand as his dress shoes from his usual Midgardian clothes sunk into it. Choosing to change appearance into something more appropriate, he was easily overlooked by the scarce other people who lingered to watch the last rays of sun sink away. His bright green eyes scanned the open area, landing on a familiar prone form in a beach chair just a few yards away.

"Darcy." He sighed, relieved he had finally found her. He frowned when she didn't rouse at his call, his eyes drifting down to the empty bottle lying next to her.

"Dear girl what _have_ you been doing?" he murmured, leaning down to pick her up. At the movement she stirred, groaning slightly and burying her face against his neck. He paused, waiting to see if she would say anything, but the girl in his arms remained quiet. Deciding it would be smarter to go somewhere private, Loki started making his way toward the villa building where he could see some of Darcy's things strewn about.

"You know…its funny," she mumbled as he was walking.

"What is amusing?" he asked surprised she managed to speak at all in her state.

"I hated my dad for being a drunken bastard…I mean, it killed him in the end after all. Ever since I got the news I've been guzzling liquor like its water," she gave a bitter laugh, "Haven't seen my father in god knows how many years and I still turn out like him, drinking to forget. Numb myself to the pain, the memories." Her words drifted off as the God of Lies stepped into the cabin, looking around to try and locate her room. Something in her words resonated a little too deeply with him and he felt like he needed some space from her. Setting the girl down on a bed in a room that looked like it was probably hers, he left her to her drunken sleep, going out into the living room and pacing, lost in thought. He still couldn't understand how his mortal could be so trusting after all the pain her own kind had put her through. If anything, he thought she would understand the need for humans to be ruled by a far more wise and powerful being, like himself. If he had ruled this planet, she would not have grown up with an abusive father, or lost her mother at such a young age. He could only imagine how cheery she would have been had she not gone through the hardships she had. He shuddered at the idea of an even happier Darcy. She would be far too mischievous for her own good…and far cheerier than anyone should possibly be. He growled at all the thoughts tumbling around in his head, not sure what to make of the girl in the next room. Deciding the morning would prove a better time to think, Loki stretched out on the couch, falling into a fitful sleep full of his family's disappointed faces.

* * *

Green eyes flew open, wide with remembered distress, quickly taking in the surroundings as if expecting an attack. When he realized he was in a sunlight filled room and was not, in fact, on a frozen wasteland of a realm he relaxed. Rising to look around, his gaze fell on the still sleeping girl in the other room. Once again, he felt that terrible tugging feeling in his chest. Wincing slightly at the tight sensation, he wandered over to sit beside her, taking in her rather sickly appearance.

"You'll be of very little use to me like this my girl," he murmured, brushing strands of her hair from her face, even as his own expression belied his concern. As he watched her sleep, Loki couldn't help but think back to the last time that they talked. She had been so open and honest with him. It was very strange to the God of Lies that someone could be truthful with him and their words not sting like a solid blow to the chest. His long buried sense of honor told him it would only be fair for him to be open with her. Part of him even craved to tell her everything, bare his very soul to her. In the recesses of his mind, he desired for some sort of confidante like he had not had back on Asgard. When he realized where his thoughts had led him, the god scoffed._ Nothing but sentiment_, he thought.

"See what you have done to me little mortal? You have brought a mighty god down to nothing but a sorrowful wretch all because of your sentiment. You must possess some hidden magic for making even the God of Lies want to speak honestly," he told her, twirling a piece of her hair around his finger, seemingly fascinated by the silky chocolate strands. He felt compelled to fill the silence that followed like she so often had. It was rare to be in the young woman's presence and not have the air filled with her words.

"I asked you once what you know of monsters and you, quite forcefully, expressed your position on that. My dear Darcy, I fear you do not understand of what kind of monsters I speak. Yes, you have the ones that exist here on Midgard, in the minds of humans. But there are those of other worlds my dear girl, those that could freeze you to your core within seconds with just a touch, those that would take pleasure in causing you harm. You are a most fragile species dear girl and most think you inferior, not worthy to exist. For a long while that is how Asgardians viewed the Frost Giants, in fact, most still do, and I was among them." Here Loki paused, his mind screaming at him to cease this babbling. He took a calming breath, deciding it would be better in the long run to just divulge all of this information at once. Only then would he feel that they were on equal footing again, even if she had been asleep during his confession.

"During the time that Thor was exiled here I discovered my true parentage. I was a stolen child from Jotunhiem, the identity I knew was a lie. It felt like my whole existence was stripped away from me. All my life I had attempted to earn the respect, the acknowledgment of Odin, of the people only to be overshadowed by my so-called brother. Magic and wit did not impress those who worshipped brute strength. In the one moment when I thought that I would not be overlooked, the moment when Thor was a banished, unworthy prince, I learned that I would never be held in the same esteem as he is. Who could ever deem to look upon a Jotun with anything but disgust?

"The realization that my whole existence was not what I thought drove me to near madness. I was driven to earn the respect of my adoptive father, was desperate for the respect that so easily came to Thor. I thought that by destroying Jotunhiem I would prove to the people that I could be a great ruler, that I could wield power just as great…no, better than the thunder god. It was a fool's errand from the start and I see that now. I could never earn my father's praise, could never draw their eyes away from Thor long enough to acknowledge me.

"In the throes of my madness I sought a new kind of admiration. I found the Chituari, and I discovered that I could be a mighty ruler of beings lesser than myself. The people of Midgard are a violent, brutish race. Your people needed order, a ruler who would give them peace and freedom from fear and strife. When I become the leader of this simple world I will show you and your kind all sorts of wonders and knowledge. I will make this realm better. My dear girl, when I become King, you will have no more reason to shed tears or wish to forget your hardships," he whispered, tucking the hair he had been playing with behind the sleeping girl's ear. Loki felt his lips curling into a small smile before he could stop it. So much about this mortal troubled and confused him, but it was amazing to the god that simply by voicing what he had held in his heart for so long to her, even asleep, he would feel so much lighter in spirit. He wondered what kind of power she must possess to make him feel so. The girl's sudden movement drew him from his musings and his eyes landed on her tattoo once again.

"Mine," he sighed, his gaze tracing the runes of his name, hardly realizing he had spoken at all. Reaching out, he allowed his fingertips to graze along her skin, tracing the serpentine design. The god stilled when she moved again, tensing and stretching before relaxing once more.

"Darcy?" he called her name quietly, wondering if she was truly awake. He felt her tense, turning her face towards him and squinting up as if she wasn't sure she was really seeing him.

"Loki? What the hell you doing here?" her voice was still slurred and heavy with sleep.

"I felt I had stayed away a sufficient amount of time for you to calm. I did not know Midgardians wore so little and slept outside while on holiday. Or is that just something you do?" he asked, laughter in his voice. Darcy looked down in confusion. She squeaked and practically dove under the covers when she realized she had fallen asleep in nothing but her very revealing bikini. She kept herself covered up to her neck, glaring at the smirking god sitting on the edge of her bed.

"So what if I fell asleep in my bathing suit? It's not like I expected you to show up," she growled. She really didn't want to deal with him right now. She was suffering from one hell of a hangover, a possibly horrible sunburn, and the grief and depression were slowly creeping back to the forefront of her mind.

"No, I suppose you did not, and yet here I am all the same," he grinned, stretching his arms out to indicate where "here" was exactly. She narrowed her eyes at him, but at his gesturing, her eyes were drawn to his clothes. Darcy was surprised to see that he wasn't in his Asgardian armor, or the casual business suit he usually wore. Instead, Loki, God of Mischief and Lies, was in what appeared to be either shorts or swim trunks, and a half done button-up short sleeve shirt. Before she could stop herself she started giggling. She burst into full blown laughter at his classic questioning look, the raised eyebrow and confused frown. The clothes just didn't suit him at all, although the outfit did reveal a delicious amount of skin. His arms and legs were bare and the carelessly done-up shirt left a good amount of his chest free to ogle. Even though Loki was slighter than Thor, he was all lean muscle and Darcy was certainly noticing. _No, bad Darcy, no drooling over the God of Lies…even if he is delectably lickable. Yum, chocolate frosting_. By the distant look on her face, Loki knew he had lost her attention. Rolling his eyes, he got up, opening the shades so the room wouldn't be so gloomy. He preferred not to reside in shadowy places if he could help it. A groan from the other side of the room drew his attention and he turned just in time to see Darcy diving under the bedcovers.

"My dear little mortal, what is the matter?" he asked, wondering if perhaps she really was unwell physically.

"Hangover. You know what that is?" her muffled voice answered him.

"I am aware there are repercussions the next day for mortals that became inebriated. Beyond that, I am unsure," he said.

"A hangover is what we call those 'repercussions'. Classic symptoms are light sensitivity, migraines, nausea…all of which I am suffering from," she mumbled. The god stared at the lump in the bed for another moment, stunned that humans would risk suffering through such illness just for a few hours of drunkenness. Before he could stop himself he laughed. Darcy jumped up in surprise, staring at the green-eyed man as if he were crazy. He was chuckling, and it wasn't even one of his evil "I'm about to take over the world mwhahaha" laughs, but an actual, honest, entertained laugh.

"Dare I ask what is so hilarious?" she grumbled, closing her eyes against the light and cradling her head.

"You humans are such a strange race." The god snickered as his laughter started to subside. The girl just groaned again, glaring at him before trudging to the bathroom.

"Well since you're here and probably going to keep me awake I might as well get up," she muttered, slamming the door. Loki grinned at the closed door before wandering back into the living room and waiting for his mortal on the couch. Leaning back, he rested his head against the arm rest, letting his legs hang over the other side, and closed his eyes, relishing the peace. It was quite a bit of time later that he heard her emerge from the bathroom, her steps sounding less sluggish. He sensed when she entered the room, even heard her trying to creep towards the couch. It was a rather pathetic attempt to sneak up on him, but he allowed the girl her entertainment, remaining silent. Of course, her being her, she still managed to surprise him by jumping on top of him while he sat on the couch.

"My girl, why do you insist on acting like a small child by pouncing on me like such?" he asked, raising a questioning eyebrow at her. Darcy's hair was still damp from the shower and her skin flushed, but she was smiling and her blue eyes looked less bloodshot. Over all Loki was pleased that she did not look as sickly as she had earlier.

"There is nothing wrong with acting a little immature every now and then," she stated, trying to look serious. Of course, it was very difficult to look somber when one was sitting on a god's stomach while he was dressed in beach clothes and looking up at you with all the patience of a parent.

"I suppose not," he finally said after a moment's silence. The girl sitting on top of him grinned before looking around the villa, as if searching for something.

"Hey, do you know where Jane is? She said she was going to get us drinks yesterday and she never came back," the brunette questioned, climbing off of Loki and going to look for her friend supposedly. Sighing, the green-eyed god got up as well, trailing after the girl as she practically tore the place apart. Finally she appeared to find what she was looking for, a small electrical device.

"What is that?" he asked nonchalantly as she was apparently reading something on the screen.

"It's a cellphone, for long distance communication. Apparently Thor stopped by yesterday and swooped Jane away back to SHIELD. They needed her expertise on something. So I'm on my own…again, until she gets back though she has no clue when that will be," Darcy told him, frowning sadly at the phone. He watched as she typed out a response before turning to look at him almost warily.

"So when are you vanishing too?"

"I do not know what you mean," he replied, wandering over to the open doors and looking out at the beach.

"Liar, you only show up for a few hours at the most if I don't scare you off first before you poof off to go do whatever it is gods do," she scowled, moving into the kitchen area and looking through the fridge. He frowned at her back, unsure why her statement made him feel unsettled.

"I suppose I could also take a few days' holiday from my scheming. If you wish, I could possibly tolerate staying here for more than a few hours." He smirked as she turned to look at him with wide eyes, apple held to her mouth as if she were about to take a bite.

"You're offering to stay here? Really?" she demanded, sounding unconvinced.

"Why not? If I am to rule this realm I should learn at least something about Midgard and some of its customs. It would not do to be an ignorant ruler." He grinned as she scowled before she huffed, rolled her eyes and went back to her search for food. He was still smirking as both of them quickly settled out on the shady deck for the afternoon. Both of them wondering how well or how badly staying in the same dwelling would go.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: OK, so i figure i'm going to be super busy in the upcoming weekend so i'm posting another chapter while i have the chance. Enjoy the early update because my dear readers, you will probably have to wait a week for the next one. As always, previews for those who comment, but huge thank you's to those who favorite and follow as well. Enjoy!

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As far as roommates went, Loki was an interesting one to have, according to Darcy. The man pretty much watched her do everything. He observed her when she was cooking, when she was thoughtful enough to pick up her stuff, when she was texting or going on Facebook, hell, the man watched her washing dishes. She knew his lazy ass wouldn't do anything helpful around the private villa, but she was still creeped out by his obvious stalking habits. It was on the morning of the second full day of his watching when she finally snapped.

"Ok Loki, here's the deal. I don't mind that you're here, in fact, it's probably helping me from going insane and guzzling every alcoholic drink from here to Honolulu, but I can't stand you following me around like a ghost anymore!" she yelled. The god sitting on her couch blinked, eyes wide with surprise, before an indulgent smirk spread across his face.

"My dear girl, there was no need to shout. If my observation of you was so troubling, all you had to do was say so," he answered, gracefully getting to his feet and striding over to her. Darcy's face was flushed red with anger, her glare should've been, by all rights, burning a hole through the man as he approached. Loki found it endlessly amusing, his little mortal was rather…endearing when livid.

"If you had any clue about people at all then you would've realized that I was getting uncomfortable with the creepy staring," she growled, having to look up as his tall form towered over her.

"Perhaps, but as I have said before, I am trying to learn some of your strange Midgardian customs. The best way to do that is through observation," he told her. Darcy gave a frustrated sigh, hanging her head which landed against his chest. Loki tensed at the contact, ready to move away, sure that his chilled skin would make her uncomfortable. He froze when the girl leaning against him sighed, shifting closer.

"Cold feels good," she mumbled, turning so that her cheek pressed against him. Of all the things she did, this was possibly the worst as it made him extremely uncomfortable, even more so than the frosting incident.

"Is there something the matter with you?" he asked with as much patience as he was capable. This was not a situation he wanted to be in. Most found his cold skin undesirable, but the fact that Darcy didn't seem to mind it made that tugging feeling in his chest worse.

"Mm, probably…"she mumbled, leaning heavily against him.

"Well what is the matter with you now?" he demanded, a little more sharply than he probably should have. She didn't seem to pay attention to his tone, instead leaning away and giving him a thoughtful look that the god did not like.

"I think today is a movie day," she finally told him, grabbing his hand and dragging him over to the couch. She was such a confusing person, he couldn't understand how she had gotten from feeling unwell to "movie day" whatever that was, but he put up with it. He watched from his seat on the couch as she went about picking a case from the cabinet and putting it in the player before settling next to him on the couch and turning on the television.

"Why is today a movie day?" the god asked, unsure if he really wanted an answer.

"Because it's what people do when they're not feeling well, or at least, that's what I do. I lie on the couch all day and watch movies," she explained, fiddling with the remote device to get the volume right.

"And what, pray tell, do you think is wrong with you? From what I can tell you seem just as aggravating and cheerful as ever," he grumbled.

"Aw, that's sweet of you. But no, I know I'm feeling sick. You feel like a freaking ice pack to me," she told him, laying her hand on his arm for emphasis, "So I probably have a fever. I'm betting it's just dehydration…lack of water, you know. So I'm not going to do much of anything, lie around, and drink lots of water," she explained. As if to make her point clear, she kicked her feet up on the table in front of them and took a long sip of her lemonade that she had placed on the table earlier.

"You mortals are too fragile," he sighed. She shrugged off the comment, choosing to keep her focus on Harrison Ford and his whip. The day passed quickly in this lazy fashion and Loki was amused to note that Darcy was able to recite whole movies as they watched, her lips moving silently as the actors spoke. It was late into the afternoon and the temperature was much hotter outside than it had been in past days. The heat was making both of them feel drowsy and it wasn't long before the droning of the TV lulled them to sleep.

* * *

Loki woke with a start in the early evening, glancing outside to see that thunder clouds had gathered. He scowled at the storm, hoping it wasn't a precursor to his so-called brother's arrival. Making to get up and see for himself, the God of Mischief found that Darcy had settled on top of him, a warm weight against his chilled skin. Her tangled hair curtained her face, hiding her sleeping face from his sight, but he could feel her even breathing ghosting across his chest, see the steady rise and fall of her back. Deciding it wasn't worth dealing with the cranky girl if he woke her, the god settled back, watching as the clouds roiled and the sea churned.

"It's not Thor." The man would not admit to jumping when the girl resting on top of him spoke. He scowled down at the top of her head, feeling her lips curl into a smirk.

"And how could you tell dear girl?" he demanded, feeling lazy enough to not put the hint of threat in his voice like usual.

"Jane would've texted me if she and Thor were visiting. My phone's been quiet so no God of Thunder should be popping in here. Of course, he might just rocket down here if there was an enemy or something," she mumbled. He gave a short, humorless laugh.

"My little mortal, there _is_ an enemy of his that resides here, he is just unaware of it," he answered. She made a humming noise in response patting him lightly with the hand she had sandwiched between her cheek and the spot on his chest above his heart. It was silent for a while, both of them listening to the storm and the violent crashing of the waves.

"Hey Loki."

"Yes?"

"Can I ask you questions and you answer them truthfully?" she whispered, burying her face further into his chest.

"I suppose that would be fair, but only if you answer my own inquiries. You cannot say that it is a personal matter," he told her after a moment.

"Fair. Ok, first, why were the consequences of the contract so mild? I mean, it's supposed to make us stick to our word, but me losing my voice for a day and you not being able to do some magic for like, a week seem pretty chill compared to what your twisted little mind could've come up with," she asked. He let the insult about his mind slide, getting the feeling she was teasing rather than insulting.

"If something horrible had happened to you, others would get suspicious. You simply getting some illness was much more plausible. As for my consequence, it is much more of a hindrance for me to lose my magic than it is for you to lose your voice. Very much of what I do relies on my talent," the god explained, shifting his arm from where it was pinned uncomfortably between his side and the couch back. Not knowing where else to rest it, he settled his arm along her back, finding it much more comfortable. She shifted slightly before settling back, apparently unperturbed by their rather intimate position.

"So what's your 'inquiry'?" she questioned after a moment, mocking his accent and choice of wording.

"I have nothing in particular that I wish to know at the moment, but I shall let you know," he informed her. She finally lifted her head from his chest to give him a decidedly un-amused look. He simply smirked. To demonstrate her frustration with his word games she reached up and ruffled his hair, ruining the slicked back locks. He frowned, brushing the strands from his eyes before ghosting his hand along her side, knowing most Midgardian women were ticklish there. Her whole body jolted when he found the sensitive spot and she squeaked.

"Is something the matter?" he asked her, attempting to sound innocent. Darcy glared, sitting up and trying to pry his hands from where he had settled them on her hips with little success.

"I swear I will find some way to hurt you if you try that again," she threatened. He grinned, shifting his fingers slightly, slipping under her tee shirt to get at bare skin. He managed to draw another high pitched noise from the girl before she started laughing uncontrollably, twisting and turning in his lap. She would later declare that she was adding a "no tickling clause" to their contract because it was a highly dangerous torture method, but for now Darcy was thankful for the feeling of normalcy, even if it happened to be with a certain god with glowing green eyes.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: So Sorry for the late update! it has been a crazy week full of exams and regular schoolwork, but here's the next bit for you to enjoy. Also, just fyi, i'm going to be posting more chapters quicker because right now i'm working on a Halloween chapter! Tis my favorite holiday and so i must write a drama filled chapter for it. But for now, enjoy.

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"So how did you get out of Asgard?" Loki stared incredulously as Darcy continued to peruse the clothing racks. Of all the times to ask that question, she chose to ask it while they were out in public, shopping no less.

"And why did you choose to ask that question at this particular moment?" he sighed, knowing it was useless getting angry at the strange mortal.

"Well, the last time I saw you, you were sporting a very cool looking muzzle and some nifty shackles before you and Thor zapped off to home," she explained, giving him a sly look and a smirk when she mentioned the bonds he had been in. The god scowled, not liking to remember that particular moment before he frowned thoughtfully, watching as Darcy pulled out some flowery looking dress, held it up to herself, and put it back.

"I do not remember seeing you present when Thor and I departed," he finally spoke up.

"Oh, I was watching on a hacked traffic cam feed. I was a political science major in school, but I love messing around with technology. Tony keeps trying to recruit me ever since I hacked JARVIS but it's my hobby only. I really enjoy what I do now. Besides, I get to travel instead of being in front of a computer all day." She grinned at him, plucking a dress off the rack and heading for the fitting rooms, leaving him standing there, confused. Was it like all Midgardians to be as confusing as her or was it just a talent of the women? He still had not found an answer when she reemerged grinning and swishing the loose skirt around her legs like a child might.

"Good? Bad? What do you think?" she asked, turning from the mirror to look at him over her shoulder. Loki eyed the clinging bodice and loose, knee length skirt of the emerald dress before looking back at her expectant face.

"I knew very little of Asgardian fashion. What makes you think I would be able to judge Midgardian clothing?" he finally responded. The brunette simply rolled her eyes at his response, going back into the little room to change her clothes again.

"So you never answered my question," she said once she came back out, heading for the counter. Loki followed, rolling his eyes at her persistence. He was hoping she would get lost in her own thoughts and forget the question as she had a tendency to do.

"If you must know, I created a double of myself and left him to face whatever punishment Odin bestowed upon me. If you are going to inquire how I got here without using the Bifrost, it's rather simple. There are other paths between realms," he explained.

"Cool, but aren't your clones a little less responsive than, you know, an actual person?" she questioned as the two of them stepped out into the sunny sidewalk of the moderately busy street.

"I can project my consciousness into my clone and respond as required. Fortunately being angry with my family and having my mouth sewn shut is due cause to not be very responsive," he told her, smirking as her face scrunched up in a displeased look.

"Sewed your mouth shut? Ouch, that must sting like a bitch," she muttered.

"It can be quite painful, yes."

"You know, there's this myth in Norse folklore about you having your mouth sewn shut. There's also one about you giving birth to a horse though so I don't know how reliable those things are," the girl said casually, not realizing Loki had stopped walking with her and was staring after her with a shocked and horrified look. She paused a few feet away, shooting him a questioning look. The god shook himself from his stupor and they continued their trip back to the villa.

"There is a myth about me giving birth to a horse?" he asked after a moment, sounding hesitant.

"Yup. Actually, there are a lot of myths about you transforming into a woman and giving birth to different creatures. I wonder if any of them are true." Now he knew she was teasing him, but he was still stuck on the fact that some silly mortals who have been long dead now had thought he had given birth to a horse.

"If the stories are as ridiculous as that one, I can assure you Miss. Lewis that they are all false," he finally said.

"Right, well we'll just have to see. I hope the one about Thor dressing as a woman is true though. That would be priceless," she giggled. As soon as they got back to the house, Darcy pulled out her laptop and searched myths about the god sitting next to her. The more stories they went through, apparently the more ridiculous they got. Even after they had gone through all the ones involving Loki, they had moved on to others.

"There was something very wrong with humans when these tales were written," the god beside her sighed. Darcy just giggled, clearing her browser history out of habit and shutting down her computer.

"Yes, there was, but at least it made for some very entertaining stories. The look on your face was priceless. I don't know why you freaked out about being married though. I know it can be torture being stuck with the same person but really? I never thought I'd see a god blush," she laughed, sprawling across the couch, effectively half landing across his lap.

"It is not the fact that the Norse believed me to be married, it was who they thought I was married to. That woman is possibly the worst torture that could be bestowed upon any man. I don't understand how any god would be infatuated by _that_," he muttered.

"So she was a Barbie?"

"A what?"

"A Barbie. It's a particular type of doll most little girls want. Because it's this pretty blonde, blue eyed doll, I compare women who are all about looks to them. Just like the doll, I find that those types of women have no brains. Don't get me wrong, I know that women who focus on looks aren't all idiots, but the ones who are obsessed about it tend to have no decent conversational skills," Darcy explained.

"Then yes, I believe that little goddess is like this Barbie doll you speak of," he nodded.

"Go figure. Anyway, you want to play a drinking game?"

"Drinking game?"

"Yeah. I have this awesome movie for it too! It's called _Zombieland_ and you take a drink any time a zombie gets killed." By this point the girl was grinning like a loon, already headed for where they kept the alcohol. Loki frowned as she grabbed two bottles of Vodka and two shot glasses but remained silent. He wasn't the girl's keeper, she could do as she wished. He watched as the brunette started the movie and poured their drinks, settling back into the couch next to him and grinning at the screen. Slowly, the film that was playing captured Loki's attention, as did the drink. Midgardian alcohol was far too weak to get the god drunk easily, but he was surprised that by the end of the movie he was feeling a pleasant buzz. He was surprised that the girl next to him was even awake.

"Looookiiii!" she slurred, looking up at him from her spot in his lap. He arched a questioning eyebrow, looking down at her.

"My legs feel all jello-like. Help me?" she requested, holding her arms out like a child reaching for their mother, blue eyes wide and pleading. The god sighed, wondering how he had been reduced from almost ruling this realm to carrying the drunken girl to her bed.

"Thank you." She giggled as he scooped her up, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.

"Yes, yes, just don't expect me to do this again," he grumbled, setting her on her bed. She didn't immediately release him from her hold and his gaze met hers with a curious look.

"Ya know, if you weren't all evil and stuff, I totally would've kissed you that first time you showed up in my apartment. You're probably the hottest person walking Midgard right now," she mumbled, letting go of his neck and falling back on her pillows. She was looking at him, her brow furrowed as if he were a particularly difficult kind of puzzle. Loki, for his part, hadn't moved a muscle since her confession, immediately realizing that the alcohol had loosened her tongue. He wasn't sure whether he wanted to stay and see what else she would say to stroke his ego or just disappear for a day and forget the whole ordeal happened. He tensed when she reached up, tangling her fingers in his hair.

"You should stay in here tonight. That couch is awful. Besides, I'm pretty sure my A/C is broken," she told him, trying to tug him down next to her. In his dazed state it was an easier task than it would normally be for her.

"Good boy," she giggled, patting him on top of his head before tossing an arm and a leg haphazardly over him in an attempt to make him stay.

"You are the strangest mortal I have ever come across, even while inebriated," he sighed, shifting into a more comfortable spot.

"But that's what you love about me," Darcy murmured, leaning up and pressing her lips to the corner of his jaw before dropping off into sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Enjoy the early update! There will be another one sometime this weekend.

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It was still early in the morning when Darcy and Loki woke up to a very unwelcome sound.

"Good god what the fucking hell?" the girl groaned, feeling around blindly for her phone hidden somewhere in the sheets.

"For the love of Yggdrasil, shut that thing up," the god grumbled, pulling a pillow over his head to muffle the sound.

"I'm trying, but I think my phone is under your leg," she mumbled, burrowing under the blankets and poking his ankle. The noise suddenly cut off, making the point moot, or so he thought. His mortal kept jabbing at his leg though, testing his patience. At the tenth prod of her finger against his calf, he reached down, wrapped his arm around her waist and hauled the squealing girl out from under the blankets and kept her trapped against him as he tried going back to sleep. He hoped she would give up her squirming and just return to resting as he wished to do, but Darcy was nothing if not persistent. She wriggled and twisted until she had somehow gotten her phone into her hand and was checking the message that was left.

"Ugh, it's Jane. She must be near Thor because the whole thing is very static. Honestly, that Thunder God is a hazard to cellphone reception everywhere," she muttered, tossing her phone onto a nearby chair and burying her face into the crook of his neck. He didn't mind her cuddling up to him, which despite his conclusion the night previous, he still wasn't sure he was comfortable with. Loki had decided last night, after she had kissed him, that he rather enjoyed her company and her warmth. As he had admitted just days ago, he was rather starved for affection and it was almost intoxicating in a way to have someone that did not shun his particular talents or true heritage even if she did not realize the enormity of the situation. He would gladly and greedily take all she would offer him. He obviously wouldn't return the affection, she was just a little mortal girl after all, but he would gladly receive it.

"It's too hot today," Darcy mumbled, her warm breath ghosting across his neck.

"Well I don't know what you expect me to do about it," he sighed.

"Dude, you're a walking, talking ice pack. I expect snuggling," she informed him, her fingers skillfully undoing the few buttons he had bothered to do up on his shirt, before she pressed as much of herself as she could against his bare torso. She sighed contently at the cool feeling, nuzzling her face against his shoulder once again. Loki, for his part, was as taut as a bow string, unsure why she felt the need to cuddle against him, or why he had to be half naked.

"Darcy, is there a particular reason that you had to undo my shirt just to use me as an 'ice pack'?" he asked.

"You bare skin is colder than through your clothes. It gets way too hot way too quickly if the A/C is broken and I don't like heat. Therefore, yes, it's necessary for you to not have a shirt for cuddle time," she explained.

"Are you possibly still drunk?"

"Eh, maybe, but I doubt it. I didn't exactly get blackout drunk last night and my hangover this morning isn't that bad. Now shut up, you're ruining snuggle time," she demanded, leaning away just far enough to give him a warning glare before tucking her head beneath his chin again.

"You are such a strange girl," he grumbled.

"I know, many people have told me many times. I think you're the first person though who doesn't seem to really mind my weird streak," she answered. That caused the god next to her to laugh.

"Indeed, I find it rather entertaining. Of course, that is only when you are not attempting to smear strange things on my face," he chuckled.

"But you taste so yummy with chocolate frosting," she defended.

"That may be, but do not attempt it again," he warned lightly. She pouted but decided it wasn't a battle worth fighting. It was silent for a while between the two, the sound of the waves tempting Loki to drift back asleep, but he knew a silent Darcy was a mischievous one and he did not want to be woken up by whatever she was planning on doing. Apparently he didn't have to wait long to find out what she was plotting because the girl suddenly shifted, laying across his torso in some attempt to keep him still and ran her tongue from the base of his neck to the corner of his jaw in one quick swipe. She leaned away, grinning at his stunned expression.

"Yup, you're still yummy without the frosting," she giggled, rolling off of him. Something about this last little joke of hers made Loki snap. He was tired of being caught off guard with her strange behavior and thought she deserved to be the surprised one for once. Grabbing her arm in a careful but insistent grip, Loki pulled Darcy back over to his side of the bed and pressed his lips to hers. When she gasped at the sudden contact, his tongue invaded her mouth, getting a good taste of her. He leaned back after a moment, watching as the young woman beneath him tried to catch her breath, her blue eyes wide.

"And you taste just as delectable dear girl," he whispered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She blinked, trying to process his words through her desire hazed mind before a smirk spread across her face.

"You, dear sir, are a sneaky bastard," she laughed.

"Perhaps, but you enjoy it," he told her, leaning down and placing kisses along her neck.

"You know, you're-" Darcy's retort was cut off by a rather loud rumble of thunder. The two of them froze, looking towards the window to see storm clouds rolling in from off shore.

"You don't think…" her words trailed off as she looked back to Loki's scrutinizing gaze.

"You did say Jane called earlier," he pointed out.

"Fucking hell."

"Indeed," he gave her a wry look.

"Well, are you still disguised as Luke or whatever? No one should know you're…you," Darcy pointed out.

"Yes, I have been appearing as Luke since we were in Italy. I find it is easier to travel under this guise," he answered.

"So if Thor is showing up, it shouldn't be because of you. Maybe there's just some trouble nearby or something," she mumbled. He gave her a dubious look, but didn't say anything.

"I fear you, my darling, live in a fantasy world sometimes," Loki told her, leaning down to plant kisses along her neck again.

"And you, for some reason unknown to me, like to kiss my neck apparently," she giggled. He scowled, even as he remained close to her. The god couldn't even explain to himself why he enjoyed this mortal's company, or why he felt the need to kiss her. Perhaps he had been spending too much of his time with her, yet he couldn't find it in himself to be annoyed. His plans, his craving for power, all of the things he found to be of utmost importance seemed dull and inconsequential when he was with her and listening to her babbling.

"I enjoy kissing your lips more for it means that you are otherwise preoccupied and cannot speak." He smirked at her scowling face.

"Please, you love what I have to say," she told him. He was going to retort, but Darcy decided there had been enough bantering and pressed her lips back to his. Being thoroughly distracted from their teasing, Loki and Darcy put thoughts of Thor to the back of their minds, intent on exploring each other for now. As the moments passed the thunder became louder, harder to ignore, prompting the two to break apart.

"Welp, so ends the best make-out session I've ever had," Darcy sighed impassively. The god leaning over her chuckled, rolling on to his side next to her.

"I am glad I have made such an impression," he replied. For a while the two were quiet, Darcy lost in her thoughts and Loki observing yet another one of the girl's facades. _Aroused_ he decided to call it. Her lips were kiss-swollen and cherry red, making them look even more appealing than before. Her cheeks had a pink tinge and her blue eyes were sparkling and as dark as sapphires. He found he liked this expression most.

"You know, if SHIELD does know you're here, what are you going to do?" she asked finally. He was learning to expect strange statements from his mortal and so wasn't quite caught off guard when she asked him this. He sighed, twisting a piece of her hair around his finger.

"I suppose I will go elsewhere for a while. After the last time I was on Midgard I do not think it would be wise for me to try and fight my brother and his little band of heroes again. As for you, I believe part of our contract prohibits you from speaking of my presence as long as I remained hidden. I recall you being a somewhat skilled liar and so if I am somehow discovered now, you could simply tell Thor that you were unaware the man he knows as Luke and I are one in the same," he told her.

"Oh really? You're telling me to lie so I won't get in trouble, huh?" she gave him an amused smirk and he scowled, realizing his words made it seem as if he _cared_ about her well-being.

"It is rare to find willing followers in this realm and so I prefer the ones I do have to not be imprisoned," he explained. She gave him a skeptical look but refrained from commenting as she saw Thor landing on the beach and heading towards the house.

"You want me to lie? Fine, I will. But only minimally," she mumbled.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: I told you i'd post another chapter this weekend! And now for Darcy tirade, enjoy!

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"Miss. Lewis, I understand that you're upset that your little boyfriend turned out to be a super villain, but I need you to get over it and tell me if you know anything useful!" Nick Fury tried asking patiently, standing in Darcy's office doorway. By the end of his statement his voice had taken on its usual angry quality, his eyes following her as she paced.

"Upset? You think I'm upset? No Fury, I'm livid!" she screamed, wanting to throw something just to play up her act. Darcy was always a little bit of a drama geek and had considered being an actress when she was younger, but in high school she had discovered politics and debate team and decided that that was much more fun than acting. Now however, she was pulling off probably the biggest lie of her life and she was oh so glad for her honed acting skills.

"Don't yell at me Miss. Lewis. Need I remind you I do carry a gun at all times," he warned. She turned to glare at him for a moment before sighing, falling into her chair.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, you reserve the right to shoot me if I piss you off enough. I remember you telling me that my first day here. It was the most creative orientation I ever had. Listen Nick, I'm pissed off and confused, okay?" she muttered, crossing her arms and pouting like a five year old.

"How does that keep you from answering my questions?" he countered.

"You expect me to sort through every conversation I had with Luk- Loki when my brain is feeling like scrambled eggs?" she grumbled.

"I expect you to get over that 'scrambled egg' feeling and tell me something fucking useful," he growled. Darcy sighed, knowing the angry man wouldn't stop hounding her until he got something useful. It was a last ditch effort, but she supposed it would keep Fury busy and she could use it as a bargaining chip.

"Ok, here's the deal Fury, I want to be able to bitch and moan at that bag-full-of-crazy god, you know, tear him a new one. I'm as pissed off at him as you are if not more so. Let me scream at him 'til his ears bleed and I'll let you in on something I literally _cannot_ _talk_ about," she mumbled, making it sound like some big confession. Her boss watched her warily but nodded.

"Fine, he's not going anywhere any time soon. Start talking Lewis."

"In my apartment there's a contract in the top left desk drawer, the one in the living room under the window. Read that, and I can explain the rest," she told him, getting up from her seat and grabbing her iPad. Fury gave her one quick nod before going off to tear her place apart, leaving her to walk down to the holding cell the God of Lies was residing. It was a long walk, and gave Darcy time to work her magic on the security system, not trusting SHIELD to allow her a private conversation. Loki didn't look up when she walked in, instead, staring blankly at the wall opposite the bench he was on.

"Ask what you will, I have no answers for you," he muttered.

"Funny, I don't have questions…plenty of threats, but not really any questions," she grinned when his eyes shot to her. His face remained as unreadable as ever except for the slight quirk of his lips into a smirk.

"Dear girl, I did not think the powers that be would allow you to visit," he told her.

"I bargained. Plus I made this conversation private. I've been messing with the microphones everywhere for the past few days, made it seem like your magic interferes with the electronics. Thank you JARVIS," she giggled.

"So what may I help you with today Miss. Lewis?" he asked, getting up and pacing over to stand in front of her.

"I'm wondering what the hell you're going to do now. If I recall there's a bit in our little contract that states if you get busted, our deal is null and void meaning I don't have to do anything to help you anymore. Seems like your little plan fell apart before it even really got started," she explained, giving him a questioning look.

"I will admit, my scheme did come to ruin in the initial stages of its execution. Of course, it might have gone better if I had not become…distracted," he told her, eyes drifting over her form making it obvious what his distraction was.

"Good to know. Want to stop a super villain, put a pretty girl in front of him," she giggled. Loki rolled his eyes at her, but the corner of his mouth was quirked into a smile.

"It is true enough I suppose. You are quite a pleasant looking distraction." Darcy smirked at his words before turning pensive for a moment. The god waited patiently, knowing she would reveal her thoughts soon enough.

"Well the next thing on my mind is wondering where we stand now," she mentioned.

"What do you mean?"

"Was I a convenient girl to let off some steam with?" At his confused look she sighed, pacing a bit. How to explain one-night stands to a god? Really, all they had done was make out for a while, but Darcy was sure that if Thor hadn't been stopping by, that kissing would've moved on to the fun sexy times.

"Loki, what am I to you? Just a minion? Maybe a weird sort of friend?" she asked. He blinked, surprised by the question. He had never given much thought to what he considered her. He knew that he was fond of the girl, that he would be upset if trouble were to befall his mortal.

"I am not sure what to consider you now dear girl, but you are not as expendable to me as I once considered you," he finally explained. She shrugged, thinking that was as good an answer as she was going to get.

"Good enough. I'm still wondering what the hell you were thinking, kissing me and all, but I'm leaving that conversation for a time when there isn't two feet of glass between us. Next up in the conversation queue, Fury is probably reading that contract we made now. I'm going to explain how you showed up and all that, but I'm probably going to twist it to make it seem like you bullied me into it, which you sort of did anyway," she told him.

"Oh, clever girl. What will you do now that I will not be around to entertain you?" Loki asked, smirking.

"Don't worry, I'll think of something….So what now?"

"Thor and I are to return to Asgard, again, within the week. I may or may not stay there this time," he said.

"So no break out plan?"

"No, I have no intention of departing anywhere as of this moment. Perhaps I will visit you if I become bored," he said. Darcy wouldn't lie, she felt a little insulted at that, but she couldn't plead innocent to using a guy before.

"And if I don't feel like entertaining?" she challenged.

"My dear little mortal, you could not turn away a god," he grinned. She wasn't sure if he meant for there to be an innuendo in his words, but she certainly picked one up.

"Well _darling_ you'll just have to test that theory. Now, I figure my time is about up. I'm sure if Thor or Fury asks, you can convince them I screamed and threatened and ranted pretty well." She nodded in parting, turning away from him and not daring to look back. She'd be lying if she said she wouldn't miss him, but it's not like _he_ cared one way or another so she wouldn't either.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Ok, so normally i would wait another few days to post this (final editing and all) but i just couldn't wait. This is one of my favorite chapters besides, i'm not going to be around this weekend so...early update! enjoy!

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"Good lord I missed my bed," Darcy muttered, falling onto the mattress and kicking her shoes off. It had been six days since she had spoken to Loki and Fury had been interrogating her about the contract the whole time. She wasn't even allowed to leave the SHIELD base until it was clear that she wasn't a threat. It had been hell explaining how the god had threatened her into helping him and she had managed to bargain with him to sign that contract. It was mostly the truth, she just left out the parts that involved flirting, heartfelt confessions, and kissing. She still wasn't sure how SHIELD had figured out "Luke" was Loki, but at the moment, she was too tired to care. Wrestling with her work clothes for a bit, she managed to get out of the constricting fabric and climb under the covers, fully ready to drift off to dream land. Halfway to falling asleep, Darcy noticed the scent of leather, spices and autumn air invading her room. A moment later the mattress shifted with a new weight and she felt a body press against her back.

"People really need to learn that they can't keep you in one place if you don't want to stay," she sighed. The young woman smiled as she heard his quiet laughter.

"Indeed," he replied before they fell into silence. Darcy so wanted to go to sleep, but questions were nagging at the back of her mind and she wanted to ask.

"Thought you were going back to Asgard," she managed to mumble.

"Not until tomorrow midday," he answered, voice quiet as he shifted, getting comfortable.

"So nice you decided to spend your last night on Midgard here but, my dear sir, you are severely lacking in clothing," she smirked, glancing over her shoulder to give him a questioning look. It was true, the god lying next to her was in the least amount of clothing she had ever seen.

"Are these not typical Midgardian sleeping garments for a man?" he asked.

"For some guys I suppose, but you're in nothing but pants," _for now_ her mind tacked on at the end.

"Do you take issue with my choice of sleeping garments or the fact that I am planning on spending the night?" he questioned.

"Nah, I suppose not, but if you're sleeping here tonight you're going to be cuddling and you're sticking around in the morning long enough to say bye," she demanded, albeit through a yawn. He laughed but acquiesced, shifting close so that her back was pressed against his chest.

"You certainly do enjoy close contact frequently, don't you?" he chuckled.

"I'm a cuddler, now shut up," she grumbled. Loki observed as the girl shifted, trying to get comfortable before she hooked her ankle around his calf, dragging his leg over hers, and snatching one of his hands, twining their fingers together before tucking their hands in the crook of her neck. Seeming satisfied now that he was wrapped around her, the girl dropped off into sleep. Loki, for his part, was slightly uncomfortable with the rather intimate position, but decided this was one of those uniquely Darcy things that weren't worth fighting over. Curling around the girl in his arms more comfortably, the God of Lies drifted into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

In the morning, Darcy was pleasantly surprised to be woken up by the God of Mischief placing light kisses along her bare shoulder and back of her neck.

"Again with the strange fascination of kissing my neck," she mumbled, not moving from her cozy spot.

"Good morning," was his only reply. The next few moments were silent and somewhat torturous for Darcy. She wasn't oblivious to the sexual tension that had been building between them and even when she had first met him, she had always thought he was hot, if a bit scary. Now, as the man in question was tracing her ribs with his fingertips and following the curve of her shoulder with his mouth, she was near ready to jump the guy. Deciding it was worth giving up her comfy sleeping spot, Darcy tossed onto her other side to face the god next to her. Her eyes traced over his face, taking in the sleep mussed hair and bright green eyes. _Yup, definitely worth actually moving from my cozy spot to see Loki first thing in the morning. I was right, his hair is much better natural_ she thought.

"You know I am quite suspicious of you when you're silent dear girl. What is it that you are thinking now?" he asked. For Darcy, that was like a freaking _invitation_ to kiss him, and so she did. He certainly didn't seem to mind all that much. Apparently ever since they had kissed in Hawaii he had wanted to do this just as much as she had. His long fingers tangled in her hair, his tongue begging entrance to her mouth which she allowed gladly. Her hands were everywhere on him, nails digging into his shoulders, fingertips tracing the various hardened curves of his abs, twisting in his hair, messing up the soft strands even more. His mouth finally left hers, choosing trace along her throat and clavicles.

"Loki," she moaned, his hands running down her sides, just brushing the hem of her underwear before moving back up her torso to play with the straps of her bra.

"Yes, love?" She could _hear_ the smirk in his voice. Scowling, she wriggled her legs out from where they were pinned underneath his and wrapped them around his hips, bringing their groins into contact. The god above her groaned, his head dropping to rest against her shoulder, his hips pressing into hers. It felt like he might be just as impatient for this as she was.

"Hey Loki, not that the foreplay isn't awesome and all, but I want your pants off, now," she demanded, tugging at the fastening. He laughed at her, but felt that his patience with the teasing was also waning. Deciding that he would prefer her unclothed as well, he quickly rid them of the scant material they had been wearing.

"Much better," she told him with a grin, dragging him down into another kiss. His hands wandered over her again, exploring newly uncovered flesh as her fingers traced down his chest and further, dangerously low. He growled when her hand just barely brushed against him and she giggled at the sound. He shifted slightly so that their bodies lined up perfectly. He paused a moment, wanting to commit to memory the woman beneath him as she was this very moment. To Loki, it felt like her body was burning up, almost feverish, and he swore she grew even hotter when he finally, _finally_ joined their bodies together. Darcy was arching and moaning, thinking it had been far too long since she last had sex, and that she probably couldn't have found a better partner to relieve the sexual frustration. She couldn't seem to hold still as Loki seemed to want to do. Her hips kept shifting, craving movement, her hands alternately scratching and caressing along his shoulders and back. He nipped at her neck, a warning not to push him…needless to say, she completely ignored it, but she would have a lovely bruise there later. Could she not understand that he was trying to be gentle? If she tested his self-control much more with her squirming he would probably end up hurting her in their quest for physical pleasure.

"For the love of Yggdrasil Loki if you don't start moving I'll just take care of myself and leave you to it yourself," Darcy growled, tugging at his hair to punctuate her threat. He chuckled at the thought (and the fact that she had picked up some of his sayings), thinking for a moment that it might be entertaining to simply watch, but the feel of her heated body beneath his was far more pleasant than his imaginings. He shifted slightly, drawing a satisfied groan from her. With a smirk he started moving with her writhing, the two of them finding a rhythm eventually. Darcy's thoughts had dwindled down to nothing but _oh god…yes…more, so hot…yes_. The only word she seemed to be able to say was his name, and Loki was quite pleased with himself as the brunette beneath him basically chanted his name. Her nails scraped along a particularly sensitive spot on his neck just then, causing a shiver to travel down his spine. Their movements became more erratic the closer they got to climax. The young woman under him tensed suddenly, a gasping strangled moan of ecstasy echoed through her room before she was left shuddering almost violently in orgasmic bliss. Her nails scraped along the sensitive spot of his neck once more as she dragged him into another kiss, managing to bring about his own climax. They lay there after, panting, a tangle of limbs and sheets in bliss filled silence. As Darcy's heart rate slowed to a more normal pace and her breathing evened out, she grinned.

"You know, I think in my list of top ten mornings with a guy, this is probably top three," Darcy said as she and Loki lay tangled together in the sheets.

"You keep a list?" he questioned, more interested in watching the bruise he had bit into her neck form rather than talking.

"Of course I do. Everyone should. It's a good way to determine whether or not the person is worth spending time with," she told him, tracing random patterns on his bare skin, poking a little here or there, looking for a ticklish spot he supposed.

"And am I worth spending time with?" he smirked. The brunette made a show of having to think about it which amused Loki to no end. He wasn't like the silly Midgardian males whose confidence seemed to depend on the woman's opinion of a night spent together.

"Hm, I suppose you are entertaining enough that I wouldn't mind if you spend the night again," she said, smiling at him a moment before stretching out, moving to get up. Loki had a bit of fun, holding her in place as she squirmed to get away. He let go when she became more annoyed than amused, his eyes following her as she walked out into the kitchen. Following her out after getting on some clothes, he found his girl leaning against the island counter, sipping at a cup of coffee, wrapped up in nothing but one of her bed sheets. He took a moment to admire the sight before joining her.

"Want some?" she asked, glancing over when he entered her line of sight.

"No, I should be returning soon. Thor and I are to depart within the hour," he told her, grabbing the mug out of her hands and taking a sip. He just grinned and kissed her forehead when she glared at him.

"Well then, you should get going," she told him once she got her coffee back.

"Indeed, I should. I will see you again soon Darcy," he said, giving a slight bow before disappearing.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Ok, I hate to disappoint you all, but this chapter is going to be very short. It's more of an interlude between action. To make up for it i'll post the next chapter on monday as soon as i can, i'm in New York this weekend so Monday is as soon as i can do it. But in the meantime, Enjoy!

* * *

"Singapore."

"Berlin."

"Laos."

"Tokyo."

"Budapest."

"Dammit Tash! You know that one wasn't my fault!" Clint half shouted.

"Then you and I remember Budapest very differently," she snickered, smirking at her partner from her seat across from him. Darcy listened to the two assassins as they argued about some mission detail or other, only half interested. Across from her sat Tony and a very pregnant Pepper, talking quietly to each other. Bruce was the only one not engaged in conversation as the team waited for Fury to come into the conference room to make some big announcement, but he looked extra pissy today so she decided to leave him be. She wouldn't dare try talking to Steve after their disastrous date so long ago, and she was sitting furthest from him anyway. The political liaison still didn't understand why she had to be there, but she was grateful for any chance to get out of more meetings with the Chinese delegates. Jane would've made this more fun, but the astrophysicist was off doing whatever it is that astrophysicists do. She sighed, completely bored and wishing she had a deck of cards or something. Everything just seemed so mind-numbing now that she wasn't kept on her toes by a certain green-eyed god. The conference room door slid open, causing everyone to fall silent and watch as Fury walked in followed by, surprisingly, the God of Thunder.

"Thor!" Darcy squeaked, happy to see her friend just two weeks after he had gone back to Asgard.

"My friends, it is good to see you again," the giant blond greeted, taking a seat at the table.

"What brings you back here so soon big guy?" Tony asked, nonchalant as ever.

"Nick Fury told me to return at the soonest convenience for he has news of great importance for all of us," he answered. Everyone turned expectantly to Nick, who looked almost as if he were smirking.

"That's right." Without further explanation the man turned towards the door and opened it, allowing the person who had been waiting in the corridor to slowly make his way into the room. Everyone was frozen in their seats varying expressions of shock, bringing a smug look to Fury's face. Darcy squealed after a minute, leaping out of her seat to launch herself at their guest, but getting stopped short by Fury.

"As much as I appreciate the enthusiastic greeting Miss. Lewis, I feel the need to remind you that I am still healing," Agent Phil Coulson told her, that trademark small smile on his face. The brunette looked sheepish, but was still grinning from ear to ear as she stepped forward, giving the man a gentle hug. Pepper was just behind her, the hug slightly more awkward due to her belly. Tony clapped the man on the back lightly, and Darcy suspected he was trying not to cry. Everyone else came up to greet him, Thor hugged him as gently as Darcy had, still unable to believe that the agent was still alive.

"How?" Darcy demanded, turning to Fury. She was pissed no one had told her Coulson was still alive after she had spent so long crying over the man she had started to look at as a father figure. She supposed she couldn't be as angry as she should considering no one else on the team knew either though, so at least she wasn't the only one.

"Medics were able to revive me and I had been in a drug induced coma for months. I just recently woke up and have been going through aggressive physical therapy. It's going to take a little longer, but I'll be back at work soon enough," Phil explained. Darcy squealed some more, hopping up and down in place in lieu of squeezing Coulson in a bone crushing hug.

"So have you been informed about recent events?" Pepper asked, resting her hands on her basketball sized stomach.

"Yes, Fury has been kind enough to keep me up to date," he answered, taking a seat.

"Define 'up to date' because Nicky here has a habit of leaving out some things," Tony piped up.

"I have been briefed of the situation regarding Loki, which I believe is the most recent occurrence of concern," he answered.

"Well, that and my impending fatherhood. Speaking of which, since most everyone is here, I figure now is a good time to announce the godparents!" Tony declared. Pepper groaned, rolling her eyes, but allowed the impromptu announcement.

"You picked godparents from this group?" Bruce asked, probably questioning the sanity of the parents-to-be.

"Who better?" Tony countered. Darcy had to admit, he had a point. If she ever had kids she'd want the world's greatest superheroes looking out for them. Seriously, who would be stupid enough to mess with a kid who called Iron Man 'Uncle Tony'?

"Well don't keep us in suspense, who are the poor souls you picked to saddle with your devil spawn?" Darcy asked, smirking as Tony glared at her.

"Well, Steve, we were thinking you'd be an amazing god parent. What do you think?" Pepper finally intervened, looking at the stunned man. The brunette contemplated the idea of the Cap with kids. He was hopeless when it came to women, but she figured he'd be great with kids. Rogers was blushing, stuttering a bit, not sure what to say.

"It'd be an honor Pepper," he finally answered softly, offering a small smile.

"Great!" Tony chuckled loudly, clapping the man on the back before grinning at the others. "And now for the god mother." Darcy immediately looked to the Black Widow, unsurprised to see her narrow her eyes in suspicion at Iron Man. There were very few women in the close knit group of heroes and even less that Tony trusted unconditionally. It was between Natasha and Jane at this rate and Darcy was betting on Jane.

"Darcy, would you mind?" Pepper asked, smiling at the young woman. Said woman blinked, looking between the two parents and then around at everyone else to make sure she wasn't just hallucinating. The others were looking at her expectantly, especially Pepper.

"Why me?" she questioned. Sure Darcy loved kids, still acted like one herself in fact, but she couldn't understand why these two would trust _her_ with their kids.

"Oh c'mon cupcake, you're a perfect choice. You're hardly in any life or death situations, you're great with kids, and you wouldn't try to teach them astrophysics or how to kick my ass when they're old enough to walk," Tony reasoned. Out of the corner of her eye, Darcy could see Natasha smirk. _She would teach them how to kick their dad's butt_, the brunette mused, before turning her thoughts back to the question at hand. Sure she would be a god parent, but that only really mattered if something happened to Tony and Pepper and Darcy knew that Tony would sell his Iron Man suit before allowing anything to happen to her or the kids. Plus the man had a point, out of everyone else in the group, she was the least associated with the team. Even Jane, with her relation to Thor, drew more baddies than she did.

"Yeah, sure. I'd love to," she finally answered.

"Great, now let's go out and celebrate! Shawarma!" Tony shouted. Darcy laughed with everyone else, but declined the invite, claiming too much work left over from her vacation. Honestly she wasn't in a partying mood and she knew exactly why, which made her feel even worst. _Stupid God of Mischief, making my life exciting while he was around. Now the usual stuff just seems boring_, she grumbled as she sat back down at her desk, staring at all the paperwork covering the surface.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Wow, i leave for a weekend and my inbox gets swamped with reviews...i love you guys! As a treat i will post two chapters, one this morning and either the next one tonight or tomorrow morning. For now, Enjoy this chapter!

* * *

_Following her out after getting on some clothes, he found his girl leaning against the island counter, sipping at a cup of coffee, wrapped up in nothing but one of her bed sheets. He took a moment to admire the sight before joining her. _

"_Want some?" she asked, glancing over when he entered her line of sight. _

"_No, I should be returning soon. Thor and I are to depart within the hour," he told her, grabbing the mug out of her hands and taking a sip. He just grinned and kissed her forehead when she glared at him. _

"_Well then, you should get going," she told him once she got her coffee back. _

"_Indeed, I should. I will see you again soon Darcy," he said, giving a slight bow before disappearing. _Loki woke with a start, wide eyes looking around the room frantically for a moment before realizing he was yet again back in Asgard, in his own chambers. With an angry huff, the God of Lies sunk back onto his mattress, glaring up at the ceiling. This was the second time in the past week he had awoken from some dream, expecting Darcy to be there and panicking before realizing she couldn't possibly be in his bed with him. Every time he woke up like this, Loki was so very tempted to go back to Midgard, just to see her. A light knocking on his door drew the god from his thoughts, looking curiously to see who it was. A golden head of hair poked into his room a moment later, his mother was peering into the darkness of his room to see if he was awake yet. When she found her younger son sitting up in his bed, watching her, she smiled, slipping into his room and going to sit on the edge of his bed. The last time his mother had come into his room and sat on his bed like this was when he was a child.

"Loki, it is good to see you again after so long, although I wish the circumstances were different," she told him, a sad smile on her face. Frigga examined her younger son's face a moment, reaching forward to neaten his sleep mussed hair, an old habit she had yet to correct. He took her hand gently, moving it away and placing it back in her lap before meeting her eyes with a questioning expression.

"I think it would be easier to have this conversation were your lips not sewn shut. I'm sure sparing you from your punishment for a few moments will not matter," she said, carefully taking the thread from his lips. Loki winced slightly, but was glad to be able to speak once more.

"What is it you require mother?" he asked, tone indifferent. Her expression fell a bit at his tone, but she would not be discouraged.

"Thor has told me what little he knows of your time on Midgard. It seems you spent a great amount of time with a mortal woman called Darcy," Frigga couldn't help the slightly smug look as Loki glowered.

"So?" he practically growled.

"I wish to know what she is like. She must be an incredible woman to manage to keep you out of trouble for more than a few hours. Do not think me blind Loki, I have come to see how you are doing and have seen your restless sleeping," she said, steady gaze softening in concern. This was not the first late morning the queen had entered her son's chambers to find him in a frantic state, looking for someone who was not there. Green eyes narrowed at her yet she felt no true malice from her son. Just the usual frustration with an intrusive mother. Frigga smiled indulgently, patiently waiting for an answer.

"And what do you care of your pet frost giant or his interests?" Loki finally snarled, waiting for her reaction.

"Loki!" she shouted in surprise, "do not speak in such a way! You are my son, not some animal and I will not stand for you speaking of yourself in that way." This was the first time in Loki's memory that his mother had ever truly been furious with him, actually yelled at him. The odd feeling that this realization brought was as foreign and uncomfortable as the ones he had been feeling around Darcy. Once again, he chose to ignore it.

"Mother, I do not wish to be cross with you. I simply want to get through my punishment with as little hassle from others as possible," he finally answered. Once again the queen's gaze softened and she reached out to clasp his hand.

"My dear son, you are suffering far more than your father ever intended with this punishment. I only wish to ease the pain you are suffering from. Now please, tell me of this girl you seem to have spent so much time with," she requested once again. Loki took a deep breath, wondering if he should divulge his thoughts of Darcy to his mother. Of everyone he knew in Asgard, he was most willing to confide in his mother.

"Darcy is such a strange mortal mother," he finally sighed, not meeting her eyes.

"How so?" she urged.

"She was not afraid of me even though she was aware of what I had done. She would be very flippant with me, treat me as if I were just another mortal. She is able to argue with me; she's very quick witted. Despite my attitude towards her, Darcy was considerate, letting me know where she was going when I would visit and she knew she wouldn't be home. She's very honest, blunt almost to the point of rudeness," Loki paused here, chuckling at the distant memory of her yelling at him over something or other while they were in Hawaii.

"What does this young woman look like? She must be beautiful to keep your eye on her," Frigga teased, laughing more as her son blushed slightly.

"She is not like Asgardian women. Her hair is a deep brown, nearly as dark as Sif's hair and she is as pale as cream. She is smaller than Asgardian women as well, nowhere near our height, the top of her head barely reaches my chin. Her eyes are remarkable though. They are such a deep blue color, nothing like I have ever seen before," Loki answered, his gaze distant as he thought of Darcy, how she wasn't afraid to laugh at him, how she teased him. Oh how he missed that mortal girl. Her ever persistent cheerful attitude grated on his nerves, and yet managed to lessen that rage that Loki held in his heart for so long. Now that he was not with her, that blackness was slowly creeping back into his thoughts. Frigga watched her son carefully as the smile that had crept on to his face as he talked had fallen into a distressed frown, making her heart ache.

"Loki, why not return to Midgard, if only for a moment," she suggested quietly, taking a bit of pleasure in the shocked look that crossed his face.

"Mother, I cannot leave, you know this. I am risking further punishment by even having the thread removed," he pointed out.

"Dear, when has threat of further punishment ever stopped you from doing as you pleased before? Now go, I cannot stand to see you like this anymore. You must bring this Darcy girl back eventually though, I wish to meet her," she told her son, rising and giving him a quick kiss on the forehead before leaving him to his thoughts.

* * *

_I'm going to kill someone soon if I have to fill out one more piece of useless paperwork_ Darcy thought to herself, angrily signing some document that should've been read through last week. Of course, as soon as she had the thought, one of the gopher boys that were constantly running around SHEILD popped into her office. She glared at the file in his hand, her gaze slowly lifting to his terrified face. If she were in a slightly better mood, Darcy might've found some amusement in his fright, but today was not the day.

"If that is some document that I have to fill out in triplicate again, I warn you now, walk away," she warned, voice dangerously quiet. The gopher squeaked, turning and practically fled from her office. Glaring down at her paper laden desk, she decided that she wouldn't get anything else done today, and chose to quit early and nab the next ride down to the city from the helicarrier, avoiding anyone who would try and drag her back to work. Natasha and Clint were on the quinjet when she boarded, but neither spoke to her, probably recognizing her bad mood. She was thankful that they had enough tact not to try and talk to her about it—totally understanding, those two. The assassins were wrapped up in their own quiet conversation anyway, which suited her just fine. Darcy made it back to her apartment in record time from the usual landing site once the jet landed, practically tossing her things down when she entered her home, and she would've actually thrown her stuff if it weren't for the very breakable iPod in her bag.

"That's it, I'm taking the rest of my vacation days," she growled, kicking off her heels and heading for her room to change. As she was tearing through her closet, looking for her super comfy clothes, the brunette couldn't help but recognize that she was becoming surlier with every passing day and with every stupid bit of paperwork she had to do. She refused to admit it was because a certain someone wasn't around anymore. She wasn't the dependent type, but it was nice having someone around who wasn't distracted by something or other. With Loki, she didn't have to repeat the same comment three times and have a response interrupted by a math equation or some argument over a mission. Dammit, she didn't want to admit it, but she missed the stupid man. He was entertaining as all hell and could actually hold an argument with her for more than a few minutes, unlike most people who got confused with her super word twisting abilities. Huffing with frustration at her situation again, Darcy pulled on a sweatshirt she had stolen from an ex-boyfriend before going in search of comfort food. This was going to be a long evening full of junk food and favorite movies.

* * *

It was sunset in Asgard by the time Loki had come to a decision. He had thought that for once he would obey and remain to complete whatever punishment Odin had bestowed upon him, thinking perhaps it might actually do him some good to reflect on his actions as the All-father wanted. It wasn't in his nature to be compliant though, and all Loki thought about was his stay on Midgard and a certain brunette with stunning blue eyes and a sharp tongue. His mother had been right in coaxing him to talk about Darcy, he missed the young mortal more than he cared to admit. Scowling as he paced around his room, he hated to admit that Frigga had managed to goad him into going back. Grabbing up some books and other personal items from his room that he wanted, he paused as he passed his desk. There, sitting on the polished surface, shining, was a necklace that had not been there previously. His mother certainly was pushing her luck with both her assumptions and her intrusiveness. After a moment's hesitation, Loki picked up the jewelry, putting it in his pocket before vanishing from Asgard.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: As promised, here is another chapter within twenty four hours! Enjoy, and per usual, those who review get a sneak peak of the next part.

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Loki arrived at Darcy's apartment, somewhat surprised. His girl had an awful habit of staying at the office late into the night, caught up in her strategic plays with other nations. Whereas he played chess in his leisure time, moving little pieces on a board, she played the game during work, with people as her pawns and knights. The girl couldn't win a game of checkers if her life depended on it, but put her in a meeting room with warring nations and she would have them practically hugging within hours. What surprised Loki this evening as he entered her apartment was the fact that she was home at such an early hour. She was equally as shocked to see him apparently as she jumped up from her spot on the couch, staring at him with wide eyes.

"Hello Miss. Lewis," he greeted, classic smirk in place. The smug look started to slip off his face when she didn't respond, simply looking at him. He took a hesitant step forward, suddenly unsure if his visit had been a good idea. That one small movement broke Darcy from her spell and she leapt at him. If he had been a lesser being, the God of Mischief would've been knocked to the floor as Darcy latched herself onto him, crushing her lips to his. Overall, Loki couldn't have asked for a better welcome. When she finally pulled away, breathing becoming necessary, she giggled, burying her face against his neck as she stayed wrapped around him, his arms supporting her weight as she impersonated a monkey.

"Hi Loki," She finally answered, leaning back to look at him.

"If I didn't know any better my dear, I would say you missed me," he commented, setting her on her feet as she unwrapped her legs from where they had been around his waist.

"Not at all," she smirked.

"Your enthusiastic greeting says otherwise," he retorted. Darcy pouted then, knowing she was caught.

"Well what about you? I doubt you missed me at all being back in the world of gilded halls and all that." He frowned, remembering his rather eventful and unwelcome return to Asgard.

"I missed you more than I care to admit," he finally answered, taking satisfaction in her surprised reaction.

"I'm actually surprised you're back so soon. Did you decide to sneak out again?" she asked.

"I had some encouragement with the decision to ignore my punishment," he admitted.

"Ooh, someone is encouraging your bad behavior? I'll have to thank them," she giggled, standing on tiptoe to kiss him again quickly.

"You're being extremely affectionate," Loki commented, even as he started playing with the ends of her hair, keeping his arms wrapped around her.

"You were gone for like, a month. Of course I'm going to be affectionate when you finally decide to pop into my apartment," she told him.

"And why is that?" he smirked.

"Because you're the best lay I've had in a while," she said without missing a beat, looking completely serious. He seemed taken aback by her blunt statement, but grew annoyed when she started giggling.

"Dude, lighten up. The sex was good, but I did miss you. Tony can't pull off the pranks you can and get away with it," Darcy snickered, managing to free herself from his grip and dragging the god over to her couch.

"So you only appreciate me for my mischievous ways?" Loki questioned.

"And the banter," she added.

"I feel so unloved," he sighed dramatically which made her laugh some more. The two fell into a comfortable silence for a few moments, watching whatever movie Darcy had left playing.

"So dare I ask what happened when you got back?" she asked after a moment.

"Well, I got a very pleasant welcome from you, but considering I've only been here ten minutes, I would say not much has happened," he told her, dodging the question. She leveled an un-amused and demanding look his way. She knew he wasn't willingly going to spill the information if she kept demanding though. A sly smirk made its way onto her face as she got up from the couch and disappeared into the kitchen for a moment. It didn't take a genius like himself to know what she was going to get from there and Loki sighed resignedly. When his mortal came back, frosting in hand, she perched herself on his lap and opened the jar threateningly.

"What happened?" she demanded again. Giving her an arch look, the God of Mischief dipped a finger into the chocolate confection and smeared it on Darcy's cheek, surprising her.

"Cheater," she muttered, scowling at him.

"Turnabout is fair play, Miss. Lewis," he replied, grinning.

"Yes, but I doubt _you_ are going to lick it off my cheek," she muttered, glowering. Smirking this time, Loki leaned forward, swiping his tongue along her frosting covered face. He leaned back, amused as he watched her face turn an interesting shade of red even as she wiped away the rest of the sugary treat. He didn't particularly care for the stuff, but he would admit that she was right, frosting did taste better with a little "spice" as she called it.

"What was that about doubting me?" he asked, chuckling at the stunned expression on his girl's face. Frowning at him, she took a swipe from the container and dabbed it on his nose. Loki's glare wasn't nearly as scary with the frosting on his face. Giggling, she wiped the chocolate icing off his face before he started ranting.

"That, my dear, was not wise," he warned. She quirked a questioning eyebrow just before he put more frosting on her face. Darcy tried to dodge the dollop as he tried to get it on her nose, which backfired as the frosting just ended up smeared from the tip of her nose, across her lips and down her chin. What proceeded was a contest to see who could cover the other's face in more frosting, which somehow evolved to kissing. Loki had no idea how they had gotten from the couch and covering each other in chocolate frosting to Darcy's bed, naked and tangled in the sheets, an empty container of icing tossed on the floor, but he found he didn't care. The God of Mischief was quite sure he would not be able to ever see frosting quite the same way again, and he still didn't like the overly sweet substance, but he could certainly appreciate its usage now. While he certainly expected an interesting welcome from the girl still sleeping next to him, he never imagined finding himself in her bed again so soon. Now, as morning light peeked into the room through the heavy curtains, Loki was very appreciative of his mother's urging him to leave Asgard. While he would most likely never admit it aloud again, he most definitely did miss his girl and craved the entertainment she gave him while he was home.

"Well, I think I'm going to need to get more frosting," the woman lying next to him finally said, giggling a little and drawing him from his thoughts.

"Oh?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow at her devious smirk.

"Oh c'mon, you can't say that the epic chocolate frosting sex isn't something you want to repeat. You know it was great," she told him.

"My dear, although I must say that the sugary substance led to your tongue tasting some interesting parts of my anatomy, I could do without the subsequent sticky feeling that followed," he replied. The brunette pouted a bit at that, but silently conceded the point.

"I'm going to make some tea, you want some?" she asked, already disentangling herself from his arms and the sheets. He watched as she looked around for some form of clothing before settling on his tunic. She turned and gave him an expectant look, waiting for an answer. He nodded, smirking at the sight of his mortal wearing nothing but his shirt and even better, she acted like it was perfectly normal to wear something that showed his claim so blatantly. He continued to lounge in Darcy's bed, content and thoughts quiet for once, until he heard the kettle. Locating his trousers so he would be somewhat decent, Loki went and joined his girl in the kitchen just as she was pouring the water into two mugs. The two sat at the counter, sipping at their beverages in what the god assumed was a comfortable silence despite his lover's fidgeting. To him, she could never hold still, and so the nervous movement was just a way of releasing some of her natural energy, and so he was not expecting the question she asked when she began to speak.

"So Loki, what's with this necklace in your pocket?" she asked as casually as possible. Surprised, the green-eyed man turned to see Darcy had a silver chain dangling from her fingers, a small, perfectly round emerald stone with gold wrapping its surface in decorative swirls hanging from it. The moment he laid eyes on the jewelry in the hands of his mortal, he started cursing his mother's need to interfere and consequentially complicate whatever relationship he had with Darcy.

* * *

also, here's a picture of the necklace for those who are curious. You know the drill, take out the spaces. If the link doesn't work then just review or message me and i'll send it that way.

booga119 . deviantart art/ Metallic -Scrolls -Green -Pendant -183830379?q =boost%3Apopular %20in%3 Aartisan%2Fjewelry %20jewelr y&qo=138


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: it is exactly 12:05 on friday where i live, be proud, this is a full 24 hours early :)

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"A trinket from Asgard…and a result of my mother's meddling ways," Loki finally sighed, not knowing what else to say to the girl that she would not take the wrong way.

"So that's your roundabout way of saying your mom wants us to have like, an actual romantic relationship and this is her way of pushing it?" Darcy clarified with a knowing smirk on her face.

"I suppose so. If you would like the thing then by all means keep it. I believe my mother would sew my mouth shut again if I did not give it to you anyway," he said, a small smile creeping onto his face.

"Ew, again? No offence to the parents, but they need some better child behavior correcting techniques. I think being grounded for a year would suffice, wouldn't you?" she asked, slipping the necklace on before turning to look at some papers she had on the counter as she sipped at her drink. Loki would be forever grateful that his girl was easily distracted and therefore did not continue to question about the nature of their complicated relationship.

"What is "grounding"? Do parents bury their children in the dirt?" he questioned, only mostly teasing. The question caused the brunette to choke slightly on her tea as she laughed.

"No, no, no, parents don't bury their children. Grounding is when a kid is confined to their room and any other place they have to be, without anything fun. Like, when I was a kid, I had a TV in my room and everything, but when I got in trouble and got grounded the only places I was allowed were school and home. The TV was taken out of my room so I didn't have anything entertaining and I had to do a bunch of chores," she explained.

"That doesn't sound like much of a punishment," he scoffed.

"Well sorry that we mortals don't get as creative as you. What did your parents used to do when you got in trouble as a kid?" she challenged.

"I never got caught." he smirked. She gave him a blatantly un-amused stare before looking back to the papers. Not liking to be ignored, especially because of some work or whatever she was looking at, Loki stood, waiting until Darcy set down her tea before lifting the girl out of her chair and easily slinging her over his shoulder. He grinned at the surprised squeaking sound she made followed quickly by the useless threats and demands that he set her down now.

"My dear girl, you need a better reason than 'because I said so' to set you down," he said, laughing.

"Loki, if you ever want to have sex with me again you will put me down right now!" she finally threatened, the blood rushing to her head making her desperate. She felt the god tense for a moment before she suddenly found herself tossed onto her bed.

"Idle threat," he responded. She smirked, knowing if he took it as an idle threat she'd still be tossed over his shoulder, whining like a kid.

"If you thought it was an idle threat, then why did you set me on the bed?" she asked, giving him a knowing look.

"You're the one who mentioned sex, you figure it out Miss. Lewis," he challenged, already more interested in leaving his mark on her neck than speaking.

"Don't you think we're past the point of formality with the whole last name thing?" she mumbled, squirming under his ministrations already. He didn't answer, but she could feel him smirking. Things were just getting good when Darcy heard a decidedly unpleasant sound cut through her haze of pleasure. She groaned, pushing an equally frustrated God of Lies off of her as she nabbed her cellphone from the nightstand.

"What?" she growled, hating to get interrupted.

"Darcy? It's Jane. I know you weren't feeling too well yesterday but people got worried when you didn't show at the office this morning. Are you sick? Did you just sleep through your alarm again? Need me to head over there?" The scientist asked one question after another. She was oh so tempted to just hang up on her friend and go back to previous activities, but she knew that Fury would throw a hissy fit if she played hooky…and he would find out somehow, she was sure.

"Jane, I'm fine, you're right, I just slept through my alarm again. Listen, I'm going to come in for a half day, but I'm taking the rest of my vacation days. I feel like I'm going to burn out. I'll stop by the lab and visit while I'm in, ok?" she quickly explained, knowing her friend would keep going like the energizer bunny if she didn't cut in.

"Oh, ok, well I guess I'll see you in a few hours. Bye Darce." With that the scientist hung up. It was quiet for a moment as Loki watched his girl try to calm down.

"I wonder if this is how you felt, hating everyone you know," she grumbled, kissing him quickly before rolling out of bed and heading for her closet. He sat up, sitting on the edge of her bed and listening to the various grumblings of his mortal as she looked for appropriate clothing.

"It's not quite the same dear girl. What are you going to do now?" he asked, catching his tunic as it came flying out of her closet.

"I have to make an appearance at work, file some stuff, but after that I'm free for two weeks," she informed him, swiftly passing through the bedroom and into the bathroom. The trickster waited patiently for her, dispelling the sticky feeling from his skin magically and slipping his tunic on. He was perusing her multitude of books when she came back out, dressed for work and trying to wrestle on a pair of heels as she headed for the door.

"Feel free to chill here, I won't be more than a few hours. See you when I get back!" she told him as she shut the front door. The God of Mischief waited until he heard her footsteps fading down the hall before vanishing after her. She was mistaken if she thought he would simply wait for her return in the apartment.

* * *

Darcy didn't know why she bothered saying anything to him. She should've known that the annoying man would follow her to work despite her subtle attempt to have him stay home. She didn't know how she knew, but she was pretty sure Loki was following her down the hallways of SHIELD as she headed to her office, passing a multitude of labs on the way; Jane's being one of them. She paused outside the astrophysicist's door, only slightly nervous to see her friend. It had been a long while since she had seen Jane, Hawaii in fact, was the last time they really talked. Taking a calming breath, the brunette pushed the door open, stepping into the huge space littered with all kinds of machinery. It was like walking through an organized version of Stark's lab.

"Darcy!" a high pitched shout drew said woman from her study of a piece of new tech just in time for Jane to barrel into her. For such a small person, the woman could certainly throw her weight around. Darcy stumbled back a bit, but managed to stay upright as the scientist started asking questions at a mile a minute.

"Easy there Jane, I'm good. I didn't mean to freak you out so much," the younger girl laughed.

"Darcy, I haven't heard from you in a month! Of course I'm worried! What's been going on with you? Are you ok? We never really got to talk about what happened. I bet you felt so hurt and angry after what happened with…_him_ pretending to be an actual decent person," her former boss ranted, making her thoughts very clear on how she felt about Loki. Darcy couldn't help but notice the low growl from just over her left shoulder as Jane continued on and on about what a bastard Loki was.

"Uh, Jane, I'm kind of over it, plus I think your ranting is totally depressing the big guy," she pointed out, just noticing the towering blond as he slouched against a nearby lab table, listening in and looking liked a kicked puppy.

"Oh Thor, I'm sorry! You know I just get protective and that your brother doesn't exactly leave us with a good impression. I didn't mean to upset you or anything," she started rambling on a different train of thought, trying to cheer up her other worldly boyfriend.

"It is fine dear Jane, I know Loki does not invoke the best memories for you, but we grew up together, he is my brother in every way but blood. I will give you some time to calm and go back to work, I'm going to walk with Darcy down to her office," he said, kissing the scientist's hand before ushering himself and the brunette from the room.

"So what's new big guy? I haven't really seen you since all the bad mumbo jumbo went down," she started conversationally, ignoring the feeling of a hand resting against the small of her back. If she didn't know better, she'd say the God of Lies was acting just a smidge possessive.

"I wish to speak with you about my brother. I know neither you nor he think very highly of my observational skills, but I have taken note of a particular piece of my mother's Asgardian jewelry hanging from your neck today and I cannot think of any way you could have come to possess it other than Loki or my mother giving it to you. I myself just left home this morning and know that Loki is nowhere to be found in the realm of Asgard." By this point Thor was smirking, knowing that Darcy was in no position to deny that she had at least seen Loki recently.

"Is there a point to you telling me this?" she grumbled, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair.

"I'm not sure why Loki has taken a liking to you and I am far from understanding your feelings regarding my brother. I just wish neither of you to come to any sort of harm. If Loki is staying with you while he is not in Asgard I just want you to be careful and come to me if you should find yourself in any sort of trouble. Other than that I will stay silent on the matter until such a time that you choose to reveal certain matters. That is all I wished to say Lady Darcy, good day," he said, sounding as serious as she had ever heard him, yet the goofy grin was back on his face as he said farewell, managing to not slam her door as he exited.

"Well, I must say, that was interesting," she heard the disembodied voice of a certain trickster whisper in her ear. She gave a small smile, leaning over her desk to see what papers she absolutely needed to look at.

"You're telling me," she mumbled in response, picking up her pen and diving into her mountain of work.


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: Thank you all for being patient, here's the next part! i warn you now, it's kind of random and really, just a bridge chapter between the action, so enjoy the comedy of the situation and look forward to the Halloween chapter on Wednesday!

* * *

"I never knew I'd get such crap for requesting vacation days last minute," Darcy commented as she walked in the door, glad she only went in for half a day. It seemed like everyone in the world wanted to talk to the SHIELD liaison today. But now that she had two weeks off (grudgingly allowed by Fury) she could just chill out. Plus she had a very sexy God of Mischief to keep her entertained, so Darcy was looking forward to this vacation even more. When said god didn't respond to her statement, she turned, looking for him. She knew he was lurking about, he was just messing with her.

"Loki, c'mon, stop messing around," she sighed, kicking off her heels and setting her stuff on her desk to be forgotten during her vacation. When he still didn't appear, smirk in place, like she assumed he would, Darcy got a little more annoyed and a little less amused.

"Fine, have it your way asshole, I'm going out," she grumbled, changing out her work clothes for casual ones. Her fingers had just touched the doorknob when she felt a hand grab her arm, a firm yet insistent grip.

"Now Miss. Lewis, I am deeply hurt to hear that I traveled all this way and you have taken leave from work, just to ignore me," he murmured quietly, breath ghosting across her ear. The warm puff of air sent a chill down her spine as well as the feel of him standing so close behind her, he might as well be touching her.

"I wasn't the one ignoring you," she pointed out, growing more annoyed at how breathy she sounded. The God of Mischief might be interesting and a great lay, but Darcy hated when she got all mushy because of a guy. Loki however, seemed all too pleased with the way she sounded.

"Why would you want to go out when the two of us could simply remain here and entertain ourselves?" he asked, smirking. While the thought was _very_ appealing and brought a slight blush to the brunette's cheeks, she had made plans for this vacation before the god had dropped in for a visit and she was going to go through with them.

"As great as that sounds Loki, I need to go out shopping for a bit. Halloween is in three days and I need to get some stuff for my costume," she told him. He blinked, confused and surprised she had turned down his thinly veiled offer of sex.

"Halloween? Is that not a holiday for children?" he questioned.

"It is mostly with the candy and everything, but adults find ways to have fun too." Darcy grinned then, expression full of mischief and promise. The god loved it when she had that look on her face, it meant fun things were probably going to happen in the near future.

"And pray tell my dear, what is it people of your age do for fun on that night?"

"We party of course," she laughed.

"Oh?"

"Yup. The girls can dress as slutty as they want and not get judged for it and the guys…well I suppose it's a time for them to be lecherous and not get in trouble for it, or get caught. Honestly, who can tell where their eyes are looking behind a mask," she rambled, looking thoughtful.

"It seems the celebration has promise after all, although I'm less than thrilled at the idea of others seeing more of you than is proper," he mentioned, eyes drifting down her body and back up as he spoke. She smirked, enjoying the bit of possessiveness. For a guy who went around calling mortals bugs a year ago, he certainly seemed to like her more than he would an ant.

"You want to come shopping with me? One of my friends from college invited me to a party and the theme is superheroes and villains," she said, forcing him to take a step back as she opened the door.

"It sounds like this party of yours is going to be quite entertaining. Do you know who you will disguise yourself as?" he asked, following her out of the apartment and onto the street.

"I'm not sure yet. There's a bunch of real life super people who are pretty kickass, but I'm leaning towards the fictional ones. Although I heard people from the X-Men are pretty cool. I don't know yet, I'll figure it out when I get to the store," she shrugged.

"I'm surprised you're not going to dress up as one of your Avenger friends. I thought you would love the chance to borrow one of the spider's uniforms," he commented.

"Pssh, please. I'm way taller than Tasha plus we're totally different sizes in the chest area. Besides, I can't pull off the whole 'emotionless perfect assassin' thing. I have a little issue with keeping my opinions to myself," she explained, turning to grin knowingly at him before tugging open the door to a store they had stopped in front of. The noise from inside cut off further conversation between them. Loki followed his mortal through aisles of different outfits, dodging running, screaming children and frustrated parents as they went. He was grateful when they stopped in an area that had less of the shrieking little beasts and their caregivers.

"Why would you want to come into such a place?" he grumbled as Darcy started looking through the various costumes.

"What do you mean?"

"Why would you want to come to a place full of…these," Loki growled, pointedly looking down to where a little boy had attached himself to the god's leg. He couldn't have been more than two or three and he was staring up at Loki with big, curious eyes. When his girl spotted the child she started giggling, leaning down to pry the child off she hiked him up on her hip, looking around for his Mom or Dad. The only other person in sight was a slightly older child, sniffling and looking around. The brunette made a small sort of cooing noise before going over to the other boy.

"Hey Honey, is this your brother?" she asked quietly, kneeling down to his level. Loki scowled, never having liked dealing with children, but he knew Darcy would throw a fit if he suggested just leaving them to their own devices and so remained quiet. The little one nodded, wiping tears from his face and looking at her hopefully.

"Did you two get lost?"

"Yeah…Dylan was s'pose to stay with us but he left and now I can't find Mommy." Darcy made another sympathetic noise as the child started to tear up again.

"Oh sweetie, don't worry. I'll help you find your Mom," she told him. Within a minute, the God of Mischief found himself holding the little one who had been clinging to his leg, staring up at him again and his mortal picking up his brother, walking off down the aisle. He followed after her, trying to avoid getting drooled on.

"What's your name?" Darcy asked, trying to distract the kid from crying.

"I'm Henry, that's Sammy," he mumbled.

"Well Henry, I'm Darcy and this is my friend…Tom," she told him, grinning when she caught Loki's scowl.

"Hi," the kid mumbled, peeking at the god over Darcy's shoulder. The girl was about to say something else when a woman's frantic shouting drew their attention. Turning the corner onto the main aisle of the store, there was a frazzled looking parent alternating between yelling for Henry and lecturing an embarrassed looking teenager.

"Mommy!" the kid in Darcy's arms screamed, squirming from her hold and running over. The mom's relief was instant as she spotted her young kids. There was a lot of "sorry's", "thank you's", and "no big deal's" said before the family walked off, leaving Loki and Darcy to their shopping once again.

"Are Midgardian shops always like this?" he muttered, scowling as a group of howling preteens ran by.

"Not always, but those toddlers were adorable," she giggled, glancing around. He saw that the brunette had tensed up and turned to see what she was looking at.

"What is it?" he questioned when he couldn't identify what had caught her attention. A slow smile spread across her face as she turned to answer him.

"I just found my costume."


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: And now here's the much anticipated Halloween chapter! To warn you all now though, updates will be much slower now. But enjoy the chapter!

* * *

"Darcy, you have been getting ready for the past two hours. Surely you are done by now," Loki muttered as he waited in the young woman's bedroom, staring at the closed bathroom door with a frown. He was already set, all 'decked out' as Darcy would say, in his Asgardian armor.

"Well you'd be surprised how long it takes to get this stuff on," she answered, finally opening the door. Loki sighed, relieved that she was finally done getting ready, only to look up and find a stranger where his mortal should be standing. The woman in front of him looked nothing like the Darcy he knew, and he was speechless. She smirked, a slight twist of her deep red lips as she strolled over to him.

"I told you Halloween was a time to not be yourself. Stop looking so shocked," she chuckled.

"When you told me you were going to dress up as the Scarlet Witch, I didn't think you meant this," he replied.

"What do you mean?"

"That looks nothing like her costume," the god pointed out.

"Oh, yeah…this is an older version of her outfit from her teenage days. I thought it was better for me than the one with the cape," she explained, looking down at her clothes. Darcy thought she had done pretty well with the outfit this year. She had on some killer heeled boots that reached just below her knee, a pair of dark red denim shorts that on any other day she would not be caught dead wearing, and a corset top in the matching color that she was surprised to find was more modest than she expected. In place of the cape and headpiece that the Scarlet Witch was known to wear, Darcy had tied a red scarf around her hips, the material flowing down to just below her knees, swishing whenever she moved in the slightest. She also went a bit heavier on the makeup, using dark reds instead of her usual earth tones, her dark brown curls falling around her face and shoulders in their usual fashion.

"As mesmerizing as you look dear girl, I still fail to see what took you two hours," he smirked as she scowled at him.

"Oh please, I'd like to see you style your hair without magic and see how long it takes," she retorted, storming past him and grabbing up her purse, shoving her various things into it.

"To be fair, I am long overdue for a haircut," he shrugged, running his hand through his locks.

"No excuses, now c'mon, I don't want to be late," she demanded, leading the way out of her apartment.

"Witch!" Loki turned at the sound of the scream in time to see Darcy getting attacked by another young woman about her age who had appeared out of the mass of people filling the apartment. The two laughed and babbled at each other until the strange girl dressed up like the Widow spotted him.

"And who's the guy rocking the bad guy look. Seriously, he looks exactly like the dude who messed up NYC last year," she asked.

"Oh, this is Tom, we met through work. Tom, this is my best friend since forever, Carson. Her real name is Anna-Maria but nobody dares call her that, she hates it," Darcy explained as her friend continued to stare.

"It is nice the meet you Carson," he murmured, to the redhead. The girl giggled, patted Darcy's arm and disappeared into the crowd.

"Are all your friends as strange as you?" he asked his girl as she led them through the place, waving at people as they went.

"Possibly. Of course, we're all unique individuals so no one could be the same strange I am, but they could be just as strange as me in their own way," she giggled, laughing harder at his scowling face.

"Is it a night for you to talk in circles more so than usual?" he questioned.

"Tis the night of mischief," she responded, twisting through the people and toward the table with drinks. He couldn't help but smile at her response, and even when she came back, two cups of questionable liquid in her hands, the corners of his mouth were still quirked up.

"What are you grinning about?" she asked, handing him one of the drinks before taking a big gulp from her own.

"Just thinking of all the things I will do to you when we return to the apartment," Loki replied smoothly, enjoying the blush that spread across Darcy's cheeks.

"Quit it, if you keep saying stuff like that we're going to have to leave here way too soon," she retorted, smacking his chest lightly, then shaking her hands at the tingly feeling she got from striking his armor. He smirked, thinking that it might actually be well worth it to convince Darcy to leave the rest of these mortals to their festivities and go back home. The two of them could certainly have more fun on their own than they could out in public, at least in his opinion. Of course he knew she wouldn't stand for missing a social event and so he settled for following her around the crowded place, half listening to her conversations and observing the other people.

"Oh, Tom, this is Alec. He and I went to school together," Darcy said, wide grin in place as she looked to him. The god gave a polite nod, glancing at the young man but otherwise ignored him…until he put his hand where it didn't belong. He glared at the offending appendage resting low on his mortal's waist before looking up to the oblivious boy chatting happily with her.

"So Darcy, it's been a while, how about you and I meet up sometime next week and catch up?" Loki heard the boy say.

"Yeah, maybe." Loki growled at her easy acceptance of the boy's invitation, "We could get Sammy and Jenna to join too. It would be a small reunion of the old group," she added. Loki grinned as the boy looked a little put out at Darcy's suggestion. Despite the entertainment her oblivious nature provided him, the god wished she could realize when other males had less than honorable intentions towards her.

"What are you frowning about?" He blinked, looking down to find a pair of sapphire eyes watching him with concern, the boy was gone.

"Stray thoughts, do not fret," he assured her, wrapping his arm around his young woman's waist.

"You know I don't think I should trust you when you say that. I get the feeling you're going to pull some epic pranks soon," the brunette said, eyeing him warily. He smirked, a retort on the tip of his tongue, when a shout drew attention to the other room, murmurs quickly spreading through the crowd.

"…in New York, tonight?"

"…heard that…Fantastic Four…"

"Dr. Doom…"

The news was broken at best, but Darcy got the gist that a big baddie was in the city, tearing up the place. She started winding through the crowd, closer to the TV to see if she could tell where the action was happening, God of Mischief following just behind her. Before she even glimpsed the screen the building rumbled, things falling off of shelves.

"I think it is time we depart dear girl. I feel that this gathering of yours is going to become dangerous very shortly," Loki told her, pulling her closer to his side and getting ready to teleport them back to her home.

"What about everyone else? I'm not just going to leave my friends like sitting ducks," Darcy told him. She moved away from him, quickly getting lost in the crowd, much to Loki's chagrin. One would think it would be easy to find a woman dressed in head to toe red, however the god was finding that it was not so simple. More tremors went through the building and the faint sound of explosions was becoming audible. The crowd was quickly thinning, flooding out of the apartment and heading away from the fight, like any sane mortal would. Bits of the ceiling were falling and the walls starting to crack under strain when the green eyed god finally found Darcy. She was huddled with her friend from earlier on the floor, trying to calm the woman down enough to get her to move. The poor redhead seemed paralyzed with fear.

"C'mon Carson, it's not safe here. We have to get going. It's just like those carnival fun houses with the moving floor…" the brunet was muttering nonsense, tugging at her friend's arm without success.

"Darcy, we have to leave," he told her when he finally made it over to the corner, avoiding falling bits of the building.

"Not without Carson," she growled, pulling at her terrified friend. Scowling, Loki reached down, pulling both girls to their feet just as the building shuddered, windows shattering with the force of the latest explosion. He had no patience for either of the girls' fears, he just wanted to get Darcy out of there before she got hurt. The building was not going to stay standing much longer if the battle outside continued.

"Oh fuck a duck…Loki, the fucking living room caved in! How the hell are we getting out of here? The place is on the third floor and I think the fire escape is burning right about now," the brunette pointed out, panic clearly starting to set in as her eyes darted from one blocked exit to another. He eyed his panicking mortal curiously, she probably had very little experience in battle and therefore let fear control her actions when cornered he supposed.

"Magic," he told her in his usual deadpan way when she said something ridiculous. Holding both girls' arms, the God of Mischief easily transported all three of them safely out into the street where paramedics, police, and firemen were already attending to the crowd. He released Carson, letting the girl stumble away from him as he turned to Darcy. The poor girl looked pale and shaky, clutching to his forearms as she took deep breaths, trying to calm down.

"What the hell was that?" she asked faintly.

"A simple transportation spell. It's how I travel," he explained, brushing her hair back from her face so he could better judge her condition.

"Give a little warning next time 'cause that was like riding the tilt-a-whirl one too many times for my liking," Darcy groaned, taking a stumbling step forward to fully lean against him. Loki rolled his eyes, but stayed silent. The two of them stood there for an immeasurable amount of time, explosions and other sounds of battle still going on in the distance. The god was slightly worried as the fight drew closer to their location and his Darcy made no move to follow the masses to safety nor did she seem to even acknowledge the danger.

"Dear, I think it would be wise if we returned home now," he commented, catching a glimpse of Thing charging toward something out of view. Before the god could warn her about transporting again, a thundering noise came flying their way and only Loki's extensive experience in battle allotted him enough time to shield against what turned out to be the Human Torch being thrown their way. The young man collapsed to the ground, bits of asphalt melting around his quickly cooling body. The God of Lies was beyond mad. He had been back barely a week, was it too much to ask to be left alone so he could enjoy time with his mortal, even if that meant being at a party he could care less about? Apparently the universe liked the piss him off because within thirty seconds of the superhero being thrown at him and Darcy, the Thing came hurtling in the same direction.

"Darcy, would you please wait here a moment, I will be right back," Loki told her, urging the girl to stand in a relatively sheltered spot. In her shocked, fearful state she could only nod, leaning back against the brick wall and watching as the green-eyed god walked back toward the fight, looking as menacing as when she first saw him in all his Asgardian glory. To say it was a quick fight would be the understatement of the century. Von Doom really had no chance against an Asgardian/Frost Giant. Within two seconds of making himself a target, the metallic man was frozen to the spot, any movement he tried to make would crack at his metal skin. Still a well-known baddie in New York, people gave the god a wide birth as he strode back over to where Darcy was leaning against the wall, the tension of annoyance still radiating off him in waves.

"Well, that was quick," she commented when he was standing before her.

"I had no patience to fool about," he replied.

"You know probably half of the East Coast saw you do that, right? SHIELD is going to be a pain in the ass about this," the brunette muttered, taking Loki's hand when he offered it.

"I could care less what those fools will do, for now I simply wish to return to your home," he grumbled, glaring at anyone who dared stare at them for more than a moment.

"Yeah…home sounds good," Darcy mumbled, leaning against the God of Mischief and preparing herself for the Merry-Go-Round from hell that was his transportation spell. After getting back to the apartment, Loki and Darcy headed straight for the bed, too tired for anything but sleep. The young woman was awake enough to be impressed how their costumes melted away to leave soft cotton pajamas. As the two of them curled up together in her bed, she couldn't help the small smile on her face. She may not be sure of everything in her life, but Darcy wouldn't lie to herself, she was definitely falling hard for the God of Lies.


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: So sorry for not updating in a while. College is getting crazy as i'm working through my core classes...home stretch! But anyway, enjoy. A word of warning to the impatient, updates will no longer be coming every weekend, but i still give preview to all the good little reviewers, lol. Also, forgot to mention earlier, but big thanks to my beta Starcrier who has been a big help! anyway, enjoy!

* * *

Darcy was not a happy girl in the morning. Her head was pounding like a leprechaun was river dancing on her skull and she felt gross all over. The worst part of the whole thing was that she knew she hadn't gotten drunk last night and this was the resulting hangover…oh no, not at all. When one was sort of dating the God of Lies a hangover was the last thing on a long list of options to guess. Stumbling out of bed and into the living room, intent on some very strong coffee, the sight of all the Avengers plus Loki, Jane and Pepper sitting around her apartment made her detour from her route.

"You all better have a good reason for being in my apartment before I've had my morning coffee…besides you Loki, of course," Darcy really couldn't help adding that last bit, plus the flirtatious smile. Really, the team should always expect some form of creative and particularly cruel payback from her, flirting with the green-eyed god just happened to be the best choice. The brunette took a certain pleasure from seeing almost everyone but Natasha and Pepper cringe from the obvious flirt. Loki just looked exceptionally pleased.

"Look, it was either us or Fury. Would you rather have Nicky and Phil here this early in the morning after you get caught in a Von Doom tantrum?" Tony pointed out, looking smug as the young woman frowned.

"Point…who wants coffee? Maybe with a heavy dose of alcohol tossed in," she muttered, resuming her route to the kitchen.

"Darcy…" Jane admonished like the responsible, goodie two shoes friend she was.

"Kidding, just kidding. God Jane, lighten up," she muttered, disappearing to make herself some lovely caffeine infused drink. In the ten or so minutes it took her to make a full pot and collect enough mugs for everyone, not one single person had seemed to move save for Loki who had summoned extra seating for them.

"Thanks," she told him, kissing his cheek quickly as she sat down, hugging her already made coffee to her chest as everyone else silently got their own. To say if felt awkward would be the understatement of the century. Here she was, curled up on a couch with Loki's arm around her shoulders while everyone else glanced at them with differing ranges of confusion and/or anger on their faces.

"Well then…" the brunette started, hoping someone would pick up the conversation starter. Recognizing the opening and always the diplomatic one of the group, Pepper smiled, leaning forward as much as her belly allowed.

"Darcy, you know you should have told us that Loki was back and that he was staying with you. We were worried when we saw the two of you together on the news," she had started to say before Tony cut her off.

"Yeah, the only reason that reindeer games over here isn't done up like a holiday turkey like last time is because he played good guy this round with Doom which by the way, confuses the hell out of me," the older man said, grinning as the God of Mischief glared at him.

"Ok, ok, I get it. So what's going on now?" Darcy asked, leaning further into the couch and Loki's side, feeling there wasn't enough coffee in the world to prepare her for this conversation.

"Fury wants him gone," Clint spoke up, looking more relaxed than Darcy expected him to be.

"I'm sensing a 'but' in there," the young woman urged.

"Point Break over here went on a little trip home, says Loki's punishment has been either postponed or entirely lifted due to 'extenuating circumstances' as his Mom put it," Tony said, sounding totally blasé about the whole thing.

"Say what?"

"Excuse me?" Loki and Darcy spoke at the same time. This was news to both of them.

"As soon as I was made aware of your presence back on Midgard I contacted Father and Mother. It was only a matter of time before you were discovered and I wanted to discuss this situation before such a time when Fury would want you dragged away again like some criminal," Thor explained.

"To be fair, he is pretty much a criminal," Tony added.

"Pepper, can we put a muzzle on him?" Darcy whined, only half joking. It was an old joke between the three of them, but one look at the god sitting next to her and she suddenly regretted saying that out loud.

"Could borrow Loki's," Natasha tossed in, smirking when his green gaze turned to her, glaring.

"Old news Loki, chill out," the brunette mumbled, trying to keep this already tense conversation from becoming an actual fight. When he remained tense, she rested her hand on his knee, rubbing at it soothingly until he relaxed a bit. Everyone in the room silently watched, waiting for Loki to try and toss Tony through a window again. There were varying degrees of surprise when he calmed down after a simple and rather innocent touch from Darcy. Natasha turned thoughtful while Pepper had to slap her hand over Tony's mouth to make sure he didn't saying anything else stupid. There was an awkward silence as the Avengers tried to figure out what to say next, Darcy was trying to will her headache away and Loki was debating how much longer he could stand the boredom before teleporting everyone far away to leave him and his girl alone.

"So, since Loki's sentence in Asgard is suspended, and I'm trusting Odin has pretty good judgment I suppose we have no right to impose any extra penalty against him while he's here," Bruce finally spoke up.

"Fury won't like that," Steve added.

"Nick can kiss my ass for all I care. Look, I took my remaining two weeks of vacation. I'll keep him out of trouble and if he starts going loopy again I have all of you on speed dial. After I have to start going back to work we can pick up this rather unnecessary conversation," Darcy finally muttered.

"Sounds fair to me, see you around Reindeer Games!" and before anyone could stop him, Tony was out the door, Pepper being dragged along with him shouting some excuse about a doctor's appointment. Everyone else sat around in varying states of unease before Clint and Natasha stood up, walking over to the unusual couple on the summoned furniture.

"I still owe you that arrow through the eye," Hawkeye remarked casually, making Loki smirk.

"You managed to blow me off a Chituari cruiser several stories in the air and I then proceeded to be flung about like a doll by Dr. Banner. I think we're even," the god chuckled, even as he failed to wrangle a smile from the archer. Darcy was amazed. She had heard enough rants from the assassin that she never thought she'd see the day that the two of them would be in the same room, and not trying to kill each other. Granted, Hawkeye looked like he wanted to kill Loki, and said god was goading him to start a fight, but neither was trying to inadvertently destroy her apartment, so she counted it as a win.

"I have a recording of that by the way, I watch it when I need a good laugh." With that last remark the two quietest members of the group left, 'thanks for the coffee' tossed over their shoulders as a good bye.

"I have work to do back at the lab. I'll see you guys around," Bruce mumbled, draining the rest of his coffee. Darcy smiled at his laid back attitude, glad someone in the group didn't immediately suspect the God of Mischief of trying to take over the world again.

"I'll be off then…see you when you get back Darcy," Captain America said quietly, blushing as he made a quick getaway.

"Well then, isn't this nice," the brunette commented after a while when it was just Thor and Jane left. The god she was leaning against gave a derisive snort, but deigned not to comment. Jane was twitching nervously and even Thor looked uncomfortable.

"Please don't tell me we're going to try an awkward double date thing. That would be disastrous," Darcy said, smirking.

"Is that what you're doing? Dating I mean?" Jane jumped to ask. For a moment the younger woman looked startled before glancing over to Loki.

"I don't know, what do you think? Are we dating?"

"Is dating what Midgardians call courtship?" he asked.

"That's dating with intent, like I assume Thor and Jane are doing, but here on Earth people can date and decide that if they don't like each other then they don't stay together," she gave the easiest explanation.

"It's the same," he states, grinning when she scowls at him.

"So sorry my ancient, middle English terminology is so bad. You'll just have to put up with modern English terms," Darcy muttered, glaring at him when he chuckled.

"Anyway, I don't know, he won't give a straight answer, moving on," the brunette said loudly.

"Right, well…um…Thor, you're a little more composed at the moment than I am, do you have anything you want to talk to your brother about?" Jane asked, turning to the blonde man, looking hopeful that he could carry the conversation, leaving Jane to her freaking out.

"Loki and I have talked enough of the past," he responded, looking thoughtful for a moment before continuing, "Though I feel I must remind you brother, not to hurt Darcy. She is a highly regarded friend amongst our group and none of us would take too kindly to her being unwell."

"Thor, you're my friend, not my big brother. You don't have to go all protective. Besides, if Loki does decide to be mean to me I'll just taze him. It'll be like training a puppy not to chew the furniture anymore," the younger woman said, grinning as her sort of other worldly boyfriend glared down at her.

"This is not going to be a nice, quiet two weeks, is it," Jane groaned.


	22. Chapter 22

A/N: Hello there! thank you to all my wonderful readers who favorite, follow, and/or review the story, it really means a lot to me. As promised, i'm updating this weekend! Just a word of warning, finals week is coming up soon and so updates will slow down a lot...like, you may go two, three weeks without an update. so...sorry for that, but school comes first. Anyway, enjoy the chapter and remember, reviewers get a preview!

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"Loki!"

The green eyed prince flinched at the screeching noise, debating whether he should just become invisible for a while or disappear to a different place entirely. Thor had offered the guest room at his and Jane's apartment if he should have occasion to need it. Before he could follow through on his decision to visit his brother, five feet four inches of brunette fury came into the living room.

"You _bastard_!" she hissed, blue eyes near sapphire colored with her rage. Loki would have found the color quite interesting had the murderous look not been directed at him. He very slowly marked his place in the book he was reading, closed it, and set it down before leaning back on the couch and giving her a questioning look.

"Dear girl, your anger would make more sense if I knew what you were screaming about," he told her when it seemed like she wouldn't elaborate on her own.

"I'm screaming about the fact that I leave for two hours to buy some food and I come back to find my laptop, iPod, and television in pieces, all my underwear dyed green, and all of my nicely organized books piled up all over the floor of my room while you're sitting here reading as if you hadn't just destroyed my apartment!" she shrieked.

"I was curious," was his quick answer, seemingly dismissing her ire.

"Curious…you were curious? That is absolutely the worst excuse in the history of excuses! Just because you're curious how something works doesn't mean you dismantle it beyond recognition. Oh god, can you even put my electronics back together again?" she demanded. Glancing down in front of him to look at the parts of Darcy's iPod sprawled across the coffee table, he examined the mess, debating whether he should answer honestly.

"I don't think it would be a wise thing for me to attempt," he finally answered.

"Go figure. Freaking hell Loki, really? Two weeks, you can't stay out of trouble for two weeks…" her muttering continued as she walked away, heading down the hall for their shared room, slamming the door behind her. Frowning, the god picked up the temporary mobile phone Darcy had procured for him from SHIELD, "for emergencies only" she had said. Now he was using it to call the man of iron, hoping he would help with the mess he seemed to have gotten himself into.

"What?" Tony's voice proved to be just as annoying over the phone as in person, but that may have had something to do with his manners in general.

"Stark, I require your assistance for an ordeal I have gotten myself into," Loki told him, trying not to give away that Darcy was quite irate with him.

"You got in trouble with your girlfriend, haven't you? What was it? Thor got in major trouble when he broke the coffee maker at Jane's," the man laughed. The God of Mischief tried to tamp down his annoyance. He didn't want to have to sleep on the couch again, having learned that lesson already. Even Midgardian women, weak as they were, were terrifying things when crossed.

"I may have taken apart some devices in my curiosity and forgotten to put them back together before Darcy returned home. I loathe admitting it but I am not confident enough to reassemble these things myself and have them work properly," Loki ground out. What followed that statement was a loud and obnoxious five minutes of laughter. He was pinching the bridge of his nose, eyes screwed shut, and repeating _I will not destroy this world_ over and over. Finally, when the noise subsided into rather girlish giggling, Tony managed to tell him to bring the pieces, separated by device, to his lab on the helicarrier and he'd work on it quick. Sweeping the pieces into various pockets, Loki dared to poke his head into the bedroom, watching Darcy typing away furiously on her iPad from work.

"I'm going to see Stark for a moment, I'll be back later," he told her, getting a dismissive wave as an answer. Frowning at being ignored, the god transported himself to within five feet of Tony, smirking when the servants in the room jumped in surprise and scurried out quickly when they realized it was him.

"Hey there Reindeer Games, thanks for chasing off the interns. I can't get a moment alone in here half the time even though I'm working as a privately, independent contracted agent. Anyway, is this situation akin to the one that got you banished to the couch for two nights?" the older man asked, all the words coming out in one stream of garble that took him a moment to understand. Tony seemed to speak like that only when he was truly immersed in a project. Loki wondered for a moment how Iron Man knew about that particular occurrence for only a moment.

"Thor," he said flatly, the tone causing Tony to grin at him, finally setting aside his project.

"Bingo…you're going to have to give me the details of that story sometime. I can't tell you how many times in the past seven months I've gotten myself kicked out of bed. Of course, Pepper's pregnant…anyway, what you got for me?" he finally asked. The god set out all the pieces, carefully keeping the piles separated. Tony let out a low whistle, looking over his handiwork.

"You did quite a number on these things. It'll take me about an hour to put them all together again," Stark informed him before shooing the taller man out of the lab, telling him to go play nice with the others and let him work in peace. Scowling as he gets shooed out, Loki stalks around the hallways, glaring at anyone who stops to stare for even a moment. He finds himself wandering into Jane's lab, Thor quietly sitting in the corner, messing with something on what Loki recognized as a handheld computer.

"Brother," the blond greeted, looking up only long enough to acknowledge his presence.

"What are you doing?" the green eyed god asked, looking over his adoptive brother's shoulder.

"Fantasy football," Jane answered quickly, rolling her eyes.

"It is an imaginative sport based on the players of the real sport. It is quite fascinating. We should watch the game together this Sunday," Thor said, finally looking up for longer than five seconds and giving the younger god a bright, hopeful smile.

"Perhaps, although I may choose to visit you sooner than that, it seems I've upset Darcy…again," he sighed, slumping into a chair.

"Did you fill the tub with snakes again?" Jane asked, half paying attention to her work, half to the conversation.

"No."

"Did you replace all the food in the kitchen with more of your concoctions?" Thor questioned.

"No."

"Please don't tell me you had another get together with Magneto, Venom, Osborn and Kingpin in her living room. That's what got you sent to the couch the first time," the brunette sighed, fully turning away from her project to glare at him.

"For one, that was having a pleasant evening with like-minded people I may or may not call friend in the future. Secondly, she called SHIELD on them which should have been enough, and third, she threw my own knives at me," he groused, pouting.

"You had the worst repeat villains of all time together in her living room, playing cards and drinking. I think that's cause enough to be mad. Plus it's not her fault you left your weapons lying around in reach. When Darcy's well and truly mad she will throw anything she can grab…and she's surprisingly accurate," Jane explained, lips trying to twitch up into a smirk against her will.

"Yes, I've learned at least that much about her," he grumbled, rubbing at his arm where his own knife had cut him not five days ago.

"So you guys actually do more than just have sex, sleep and eat?" Clint asked, appearing from wherever he had been lurking, coming out to make a well-timed comment. The archer smirked as Loki glowered at him, but the two were on an uneasy truce, Loki more so considering he would've had to deal with Darcy's anger if he were to kill one of her friends.

"We do occasionally have conversations, yes. All last week she was showing me around the city, places she thought I might like. The museums were entertaining I'll admit," he said in way of a reply.

"Of course you would like those places…" the shorter man grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"For a planet you tried to take over a year and a half ago, you're surprisingly interested in its arts," Natasha added, joining the group in the lab, folders of work in hand.

"To be fair, I was fairly insane at the time. The Tesseract is not a stable thing and can have quite the negative effect on any being," Loki explained.

"And now?" Jane asked, knowing the snarky answer that would come. Having spent plenty of time with the god through her friend and Thor, the scientist had grown used to his particular brand of humor. She had no illusions that he wasn't dangerous, far from it, but she learned not to fear him as much as she once had. Darcy on the other hand, who had little to no sense of self preservation and no fear of the Mischief God, made Jane worry. The younger woman was far too trusting of the former villain for her liking.

"Only slightly insane." Jane came out of her thoughts in time to hear the god's response. She smiled as the Black Widow rolled her eyes and Clint was trying not to either grin or grimace, the scientist couldn't tell. Thor was still ignoring everyone, caught up in his game.

"Everyone is slightly insane, at least on this floating tin can," Bruce added his input as he entered as well.

"Why does everyone seem to gather in your lab?" Loki asked Jane as she started looking over some notes Dr. Banner handed her.

"Thor is always here, I'm working on a project with Bruce, and I'm betting Fury sent those two to keep an eye on you while you're here," she guessed distractedly, turning away from him and to her desk. The doctor wandered over with her, reading his notes over her shoulder, adding a comment here or there.

"She's not wrong," the archer confirmed with a nod. Natasha remained silent, looking intently over her own paperwork, probably another mission.

"Whoa, why is there a party going on without me?" Tony shouted, as he walked in, repaired devices in hand.

"Because you turn a pleasant gathering into complete debauchery, thank you for repairing these, I'll be on my way," Loki told the older man, easily plucking the devices from his hands and putting them into his pocket.

"Whoa, not so fast Reindeer Games, you owe me a story," Iron man demanded, jogging after him as Loki tried to make his escape down the hall.

"I will only agree to that if you give some interesting information that will distract the fury I have taken up residence with from being livid with me any further," he bargained. Tony's grin looked like it would split his face in half.

"Deal."


	23. Chapter 23

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kick out you tonight," Darcy growled at him when Loki arrived back at the apartment. The young woman was still on her borrowed computer but now she was in her pajamas, snack sitting next to her as she read through whatever was on the screen.

"I have reassembled the devices you were so upset about," he told her, pulling them out of his pocket and laying them down on the bed carefully. He watched as his girl examined each item, making sure they worked. She seemed confused when she got to the last device.

"Why is my TV ten times smaller than when you dismantled it?" she asked, holding the device in question up.

"For easy travel, I will restore it to original size when I put it back in the living room," the god explained.

"You went to Tony, didn't you?" the brunette asked, smirking. Loki scowled, but nodded. "You know I'm still mad you did that in the first place, but you've saved yourself from the couch tonight."

"Oh how far I have fallen. I was once king of the Realm Eternal and now my sleeping arrangements are decided on the mood of a mere young mortal woman," he muttered, lying on the bed next to said mortal.

"My bed, my apartment, my rules…and you're talking your way out of my good graces," Darcy warned.

"Well would you be less cross with me if I told you how my adoptive idiot of a brother and his friends found out about my stay here when we were in Hawaii?"

"How?!" she demanded. Loki smiled, knowing he had captured his woman's full attention in a positive way.

"Reflection. When I showed you my disguise, you had to look in the mirror to do so. Apparently since my world domination attempt, SHIELD has constant surveillance for when I might appear in Midgard. Their computer recognized my visage in any reflection I cast while hidden," the god explained.

"Oh, so…I could see your disguise in the mirror, but others who saw the fake you would see the real you in reflections," she muttered, shuffling all her stuff, off the bed so she could stretch out.

"Exactly."

"Ok, you're entirely forgiven," she announced, grinning. The green eyed god rolled his eyes, but didn't snark when she kissed him.

"You know, when I went food shopping earlier I bought that caramel drizzle stuff you like," the young woman mentioned as casually as she could while giving him his favorite mischievous grin. Sometimes Loki liked being a God amongst mortals, one perk being able to summon caramel drizzle without leaving the bed. Another perk being able to make clothing disappear.

"Oh God! Why can't you guys shut the door?!" Darcy was not happy to be woken up to the sound of Jane freaking out. Lifting her head from Loki's shoulder, the brunette glared at Jane's back, pulling the sheets up so that her and her other worldly boyfriend were more decent.

"Jane, my apartment…I don't think I should have to shut my bedroom door if I don't want to," the younger woman grumbled.

"But I have a key, so I could come in at any time. You should think about these things Darcy! But not the point right now, Fury wants us in the office pronto," the smaller woman said, quickly heading for the kitchen.

"What does the one eyed perpetually angry man want now?" Loki grumbled, lifting his face from the pillow it had been buried in.

"I don't know, but he sent Jane to get us so it shouldn't be too bad. If we're going to get there anywhere close to quick you and I should probably skip the shower and just use your voodoo to get the sticky off," she said, already getting out of bed. The god rolled his eyes, but did as suggested, not wanting to press his tenuous luck. When the two of them stepped from the room, Jane had coffee ready and waiting for them, already sipping at her own cup.

"You know I still have three more days of vacation," Darcy grumbled.

"I know, but apparently this is important," the smaller woman sighed.

"And apparently this whole thing has Loki on high alert. He's in his Asgardian gear," she muttered, turning to said god in question, "You know, I like you better in normal clothes. You look so much sexier in jeans and a tee shirt," she sighed.

"After this meeting I'll change, but I like to wear my armor when meeting with Fury," he explained.

"Intimidation tactic," the scientist muttered, gulping down what was left of her coffee and trying to shoo the two of them out the door.

"You know, people are more afraid of the unassuming who are capable of anything than those who flaunt exactly how powerful they are. If the masses know your limitations, they can work with them…not knowing the limitations of an enemy is more frightening because a person's worst enemy is their imagination," the brunette explained.

"How do you come up with this stuff," Jane muttered.

"Had to take some psychology classes as part of my major."

"Sometimes you're as frightening as him. You did computer stuff in high school, you're a political science major with an excess of charm, is there anything else I should know to add to your growing list of possible super powers?" the shorter woman half joked.

"I'm sleeping with the God of Mischief," she answered, no hesitation.

"How is that a super power?" Jane questioned.

"Because I'm sure Loki would be more than happy to cause a little mayhem if I asked, right?" the younger woman said.

"You have to ask?" the god replied, grinning. The scientist grimaced, but touched Loki's shoulder as Darcy grabbed his hand.

"C'mon, Fury is going to be really mad if we're any later than we are now…and Loki, please don't transport us into the middle of recruit training again. You scared those poor kids near to death," the shorter woman chided.

"That was the point," he laughed before the three of them disappeared to SHIELD.

"I will never get used to that," Jane muttered as she stumbled away from Loki, starting to look a little green.

"It's better if you don't close your eyes," Darcy suggested as her other worldly boyfriend wrapped his arm around her waist.

"I'd rather use the quinjet to get here than transporting or flying," the scientist muttered, stepping into the meeting room they had landed just outside of. It was never good to surprise a room full of superheroes, no matter how friendly they had gotten recently.

"Brother!" Thor's enthusiastic greeting was as loud as always but at least the blond had learned to hug gently over the year and a half he had be visiting Earth, Darcy mused.

"Thor," Loki replied, taking a seat at the end of the meeting table, holding Darcy in place at his side for a moment too long before allowing her to take her own seat.

"So does anyone know what this is about?" the brunette asked loudly as everyone else chattered at each other.

"You're about to find out," Fury said, once again perfectly timing his entrance into the room.

"As of three am this morning one of Dr. Foster's machines tracked an anomaly similar to the Bi-Frost opening. Something landed in Northern New Hampshire fifteen minutes after the anomaly started," Coulson explained.

"Were you guys expecting visitors?" Tony piped up, looking to Thor and Loki. The two Asgardians exchanged a look, Thor's expression more readable than the younger god's.

"No, we weren't, but Odin may have sent someone for either of us, though it is unlikely," Loki spoke up.

"We thought as much. This is what satellites were able to pick up from the area. It's heavily wooded and the area covered in snow this time of year so this is the best we could do," Fury muttered, tossing a folder onto the table, pictures spilling out.

"So you finally proved the existence of the abdominal snowman? Seems like a waste of resources to me. Why don't you find out if Trump wears boxers or briefs," Darcy said, looking at a blurry image of what appeared to be a man made of ice.

"This, my friends, is a great threat to Midgard," Thor murmured, suddenly looking very serious and very worn.

"These are not Yeti dear girl…these are Frost Giants," Loki said, frowning. The brunette looked at him with wide eyes, wondering what was going through the green eyed god's head at this moment. She knew he had a lot of issues, and a good majority of them stemmed from being a Frost Giant.

"Well shit…we're screwed," she mumbled.

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A/N: Remember, reviews earn you a preview! Big Thank You to all those who are following, favorited, and/or reviewed this story!


	24. Chapter 24

A/N: Hello all! So sorry I took forever to update! finals were crazy and then all the holidays and work...but now things are settled and so, new chapter! sorry it's short, but don't worry, the next chapters will be getting exciting ;) anyway, enjoy!

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"Thor, Widow and Banner, I want you three to go there and see if it's just the one or if there's more. Try and find out what they're up to," Fury said, scooping up the pictures from the table and making to leave the room. Bruce looked uneasy, but as the three left the room, Coulson assured the doctor that it was a very remote area.

"Loki, if you could find out anything useful…"Coulson started, not quite sure how to phrase the order as a question.

"I suppose I could go to Asgard and see if there is anything new. If anything I may inform Odin about this and ask Heimdall if he has seen anything," he answered, sounding bored as ever.

"Lewis, I want you to go with him, you're a political liaison after all," Fury cut in, pausing in his orders to Hawkeye and Captain America. Said brunette glanced over, seeing the god's eyes flash with anger before he settled into indifferent again.

"I do not think that is wise. Mortals hardly ever enter the Realm Eternal, especially uninvited," he mentioned. Of course, Darcy being Darcy, took offense to that.

"What, you don't think I can handle my own? I've put up with you for months so I think I can manage civility with Asgardians. This is important you pompous ass and I don't care what you think about mortals in Asgard, I'm going, end of story," She told him, crossing her arms and glaring. He matched her look, getting to his feet to tower over her.

"No," he growled. By the time the rest of the team left the meeting room, the two of them were still in their staring match.

"Who do you think will win?" Tony had asked as they left the meeting room.

"Darcy for sure," Jane answered, smiling a bit.

"Oh?"

"If Darcy were a goddess, she'd be the Goddess of Stubbornness," the scientist said and having nothing more to say on the matter, left for her lab.

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"Wow, you and Thor weren't kidding when you said Asgard was like a golden city," Darcy said, staring at the towers in the distance.

"Welcome Darcy Lewis of Midgard," the low baritone voice of Heimdall drew the woman's attention and she stared up at him for quite a while before giving him a small, nervous smile.

"Heimdall," she greeted, tilting her head slightly. She was sure if she shook his hand, her arm would break. The man's golden eyes moved away from her and assessed Loki who stood silently next to her, guarded expression in place.

"Prince Loki, your mother waits for you at the gates," he finally said, smirking slightly as the younger god flinched.

"For the love of…it's nearly midnight. I thought most of the palace would have retired for the night," he muttered, grabbing Darcy's hand and leading her down the Rainbow Bridge as she looked around, trying to take everything in at once. Halfway across the bridge, the brunette finally took notice of exactly how far the city was from where Heimdall stood.

"Hey Loki, not that this isn't like, that most amazing thing I've ever seen or anything, but if we have to walk all the way there, it'll take days," she mentioned. The green eyed god smirked at her, wrapping his arm around her waist. The young woman blinked and suddenly was standing in front of a very beautiful, very intimidating woman who still managed to remind her of her own mother.

"Um, hi," Darcy said even as Loki stepped forward and kissed the woman on the cheek.

"Mother," he greeted.

"Dear, I'm so glad you and Miss Lewis arrived. I'm Frigga darling, welcome to Asgard," the golden haired lady said, smiling as she took Darcy's arm and linked it with her own. She led the smaller woman towards the palace, leaving the God of Lies to follow.

"This place is amazing," Darcy spoke up after a moment.

"Thank you…and I am glad you liked the necklace, it suits you wonderfully," the queen commented, grin widened as she saw a faint blush spreading not only over the young woman's face, but her son's as well.

"It's very late Mother, perhaps we should talk more in the morning? I'm sure Darcy is tired," he commented, voice sounding a little strained by the note of pleading. Frigga studied her son's face a moment before giving him a knowing look.

"Very well, but I expect to see you both in the morning, now I assume you can show this lovely young woman to her room," the older woman said before drifting off down the hall and disappearing.

"I'm not getting my own room, am I?" the brunette smirked, her blue eyes meet his green.

"No," he said, taking her hand and leading her in the opposite direction, "There is no way I am leaving you alone for a moment while we are here. Goodness knows what you would get up to left to your own devices, never mind if you run into any of Thor's friends."

"I don't think I would be that horrible. This is partially a job after all…direct orders from Fury telling me not to fuck this up," she grinned, even as her sort of boyfriend did not look amused.

"You're staying with me, in my room," he muttered, glaring at the guards they passed every now and then when they looked at Darcy curiously.

"Cool, sex on a different world, this is going to be fun," she mentioned casually, smirking when she caught the surprised look on his face. Clearing his throat as they stopped outside a door, he opened it, bowing slightly and motioning her inside.

"Miss Lewis."

"Cut the crap Loki and just kiss me," she sighed, grabbing the front of his shirt and dragging him into the room with her. The door slammed shut behind him.

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The next morning Darcy woke up to a face full of sunshine and lips pressed against the back of her neck.

"You know, I expected visiting Asgard to be more surreal than having sex in your room…but nope, I'm weird like that," she sighed, lazily rolling over to face the smirking god, who had an awful case of bedhead. Loki's room was just as the young woman had expected. Two of the walls were lined with bookcases filling to the brim, some of the tomes looking ready to fall apart at a strong enough _glance_. The third wall was dominated by a work table scattered with the man's creations, some of which she didn't even want to know about. Two doors were at opposite ends of the bench, one presumably leading to a private bathroom. The rest of the rather spacious room was taken up by the bed which was as big as Darcy's bedroom back home, and of course everything was in varying shades of green, gold, or black.

"Why is it your room can be so freaking neat but when you're staying at my place you just leave your stuff everywhere? Although you tendency to leave weapons lying around has come quite in handy for when I'm mad," she mused, ignoring the teeth nipping at her throat and the hands doing their damnedest to get her pajamas off.

"And how much more of this before you finally focus on our current situation?" Loki grumbled.

"Situation? I am in no such situation…you however…" she trailed off with a smirk, running her hand lightly down his chest and into his pajama pants.

"Infuriating," he growled, pushing the brunette onto her back and kissing her so fiercely that their teeth clacked together at first.

"Aw, you know I just like riling you up," she laughed, even as her boyfriend performed her favorite trick of making clothes disappear.

"I'm starting to wonder if you are some sort of sadist. You infuriate me often enough," he grumbled.

"Maybe I just like rough sex," she said, grinning at the god's incredulous look. He huffed after a moment, going back to his habit of marking up her neck and collarbone. Darcy decided that the fewer words the better if she was going to have lazy morning sex on another world with her equally other worldly boyfriend of sorts. Of course, the loud knocking on the door was very unwelcome at the moment.

"Prince Loki, your mother and father request your presence," a low voice called through the door. The green eyed god sighed, burying his face against the brunette's neck for a moment before calling out a terse reply.

"Shall we?" Darcy asked, trying and failing not to giggle.

"They have the worst timing for most everything," Loki grumbled before getting up.


	25. Interlude

A/N: I'm so sorry for the lack of updating! I'm back at school and since I'm close to graduating I have a lot more work so updates will be sparse. All my lovely readers have the wonderful LadyMoonScar to thank for this Interlude. This takes place just before Darcy and Loki go to Asgard, just fyi. I hope you like it, and again, I will get the next chapter up as soon as I can.

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"Dammit, we're going to miss Christmas and New Years' Eve," Darcy muttered.

"We're going to miss what?" Loki asked as he watched his mortal throwing things onto the bed in seemingly random order.

"Christmas and New Years' Eve. They're holidays here on Midgard. New Years' Eve is what you expect, celebrating the end of the year and welcoming the new one. Christmas is a Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus who they said was the son of God. I was never really religious and neither were my parents so that's about the gist of it that I know, but we still had presents and a tree and all that. Hey, am I going to need my tablet? I bet I can't get internet access in another world," The brunette said.

"No, you won't need that. What is so important about these holidays? Halloween turned out to be nothing more than people running about getting drunk dressed in a ridiculous manner," the god scoffed, green eyes tracking her movements into the bathroom as she grabbed shampoo and an array of her other toiletries.

"But Christmas has family, and eating way too much delicious food, and presents! Oh god the presents. I remember when I was a kid there used to be a pile of them as tall as I was. New Years' Eve is just a fun time with lots of people, staying up late, and possibly getting drunk. But definitely getting kissed at midnight, it's a tradition," Darcy sighed, a small smile on her face as she remembered past festivities. Loki gave her a contemplative look for a moment before striding over and kissing her lightly.

"When we return perhaps we could celebrate," he told her. The god watched as her expression flitted through confusion, thoughtful, and finally settled on surprised but content.

"That would be great. Maybe we could have a party and invite everyone over. After that we can _celebrate_, just the two of us," Darcy said, content smile widening into a flirtatious grin.

"I knew I enjoyed your company for a reason," he laughed, kissing her again, "Now are you ready to depart for Asgard? Fury did seem to want us gone sometime this day."


	26. Chapter 25

A/N: First off, HUGE thank you to all my wonderful readers for the amazing amount of patience. I know it took me way to long to post another chapter and the interlude bit probably wasn't all that great. Your opinions really do matter to me and i took to heart all the reviews i recieved. Also a big huge wonderful hug-filled thank you to my beta Starcrier for helping me through writer's block and once again proof reading this before hand.

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If people were surprised to see Darcy walking and chatting with the God of Lies then they hid it very well. The guards' eyes followed them down the halls and when they entered the Main Hall the Midgardian was met with various curious stares. Only Frigga smiled at her, pointedly looking at her new get-up before giving a slight nod. She and Loki waited quietly while most of the people cleared out, leaving only Odin, Frigga, the Warriors Three and Sif.

"Darcy Lewis of Midgard, friend of Thor, welcome to Asgard," Odin finally said. Darcy was surprised that the old intimidating dude who looked like he could be BFFs with Fury sounded like her grandfather.

"Thank you, I wish it was under better circumstances," she said politely, trying to get into "work mode" even though her head was still spinning a mile a minute over the idea that this dude was someone who people called the _Allfather_.

"As do I. Have my son and his allies made any attempt to contact the Frost Giant that is on Midgard?" he asked.

"When Loki and I left Thor and two others were heading to its location. Do you or Hiemdall have any idea what they might be doing?" Darcy asked, starting to fidget slightly. When she was being a diplomat on Earth it was easy, SHIELD had intel on other countries and a vague notion of what they wanted or didn't want out of the dealings. Here the brunette was in completely different territory dealing with a culture she had never studied, never mind being on a different world altogether.

"The Frost Giants have been isolated for so long, their movements are very unpredictable. From what Hiemdall has said, it is only the one on Midgard…"Odin trailed off as a set of side doors opened suddenly, a guard stepping up quickly.

"Hiemdall requires your presence at the bridge. He says there is a visitor waiting," the man said before bowing and returning to his post. Darcy shared a concerned look with Loki and Frigga before turning to head for the doors.

"And where do you think you're going?" the god of Lies hissed in her ear as he matched his stride to hers.

"Going to see who it is, duh. This visitor is probably related to the one on Earth and so it concerns me," she explained, glancing over her shoulder to see that Odin and Frigga were both absent from the crowd in the Hall, the warriors and Sif following them with varying expressions of curiosity.

"And if they mean to wish you harm?" Loki persisted.

"That's what you're there for. I saw the footage of you and Thor fighting in New York last year. I've also heard stories of you kicking ass from said blond when you guys used to go picking fights together. I'm confident in your abilities to not let me bleed," the brunette smirked, "Now poof us to the bridge, it's going to take forever to walk there," she demanded. The younger prince was so tempted to roll his eyes at her and make Darcy walk to the bridge herself, but he caught the look Fandral was giving the young woman. Scowling at Thor's friend, he wrapped his arm around the brunette, transporting them out to the end of the bridge. Odin and Frigga were already there, tense as they, Hiemdall and the guest stood in silence.

"Ah, Loki, Darcy," Frigga greeted, giving a strained smile.

"She is no Asgardian," their guest grunted.

"Well neither are you, but at least I'm here for a discernible reason. Can't say what a Frost Giant is doing here though," Darcy said, her brain-to-mouth filter choosing that moment to break. From the looks on Loki, Odin, and the Jotun's face, she knew she was in trouble. Frigga looked like she wanted to laugh. There was a deafening moment of silence for way too long in Darcy's opinion before anyone spoke up.

"Ok then, what's your name? Why are you here? Do you know there's another Frost Giant on Midgard?" the brunette asked, ticking the questions off on her fingers. The ice man stared down at her like he had never seen something like a human before, which might very well have been the case.

"If you would be so kind as to answer her questions, we are all wondering the same thing," the queen added, giving a polite smile.

"I am called Striblog. I was sent here by my King to ask for aid. I am aware that he had sent another Jotun to Midgard. It is said that Thor Odinson resides on that world," he answered slowly. If Darcy had to make a guess, she'd say he sounded nervous.

"Why would the Jotun ask for aid from Asgard?" Odin questioned.

"There are rumors that an Asgardian had dealings with a being called Thanos. He has been to our world, telling of the destruction done on Midgard. He had done more damage to Jotunhiem in his one visit than your Bifrost had done when its power was unleashed on us," he explained.

"Well that can't be good," Darcy mumbled.

"Loki, what have you done now?" Odin demanded, turning on his younger son, disappointment and anger warring for the chief expression on his face. Darcy could see where this was going from a mile away. She knew her super powered boyfriend had super-sized family issues and she could see why if his father jumped right to blaming him like this. Loki's mom just looked like she really didn't want to stay and be a witness to whatever fight might break out.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, time out here," Darcy spoke up, stepping between Loki and Odin. Both men looked down at her as if she were insane.

"Miss Lewis, I understand that you know very little about Asgard but it is very unwise to act out of turn," the Allfather spoke calmly, warning in his tone.

"And you know very little about Midgard seeing as you haven't been there in millennia, plus you don't know me. I hate unfairness. Loki was a little out of his head when he was dealing with Thanos so don't you go blaming all of this on him…again. And you!" she said, raising her voice and turning on the surprised God of Lies, "You do not get to be all angry and pouty and throw another destructive tantrum like the five year old you are. You've done that twice now and look where it's gotten you. So I suggest we all head back, sit down and talk like reasonable people without any bloodshed!" Darcy growled, stomping off down the bridge to head back to the palace. _Really, _she thought,_ I don't know why I was worried about dealing with other species. It's more like babysitting stubborn five year olds_.

"I like her," Frigga spoke up after a minute, large smile on her face. She wrapped her arm around her son and started leading him after the young woman, leaving Odin and Striblog to follow.


	27. Chapter 27

It was a long moment of awkward silence as everyone picked seats in some type of fancy sitting room that Frigga suggested. Loki would not stop glaring at their guest, Odin seemed angrily resigned to the fact that he needed to negotiate with a Frost Giant, and the warriors were showing a strange mix of puppy-like confusion and defensiveness as if waiting for an attack. Darcy couldn't help but sigh, it was like being back in college working on group projects with people who just didn't like to mix. If someone didn't start talking in the next thirty seconds Darcy was going to, and that was never a smart thing.

"Loki, what can you tell us of Thanos?" Frigga started. All eyes turned to the God of Mischief, curious.

"I am afraid I don't know much. When I met him I was half mad and bent on revenge," he said tersely. The brunette couldn't help but roll her eyes at his childish attitude. While everyone else was giving off varying levels of discomfort Darcy was mad. Now was so not the time to be throwing another epic tantrum. Turning to the green eyed god she casually reached up and smacked him upside the head Gibbs style.

"Really Darcy? You feel now is a fine time to patronize me again?" Loki muttered, glaring at the mortal. His messed up hair detracted from the angry glare since it made him look like a cockatoo.

"Dude, you're being unnecessarily mean. Get through this first and then you can be a bitchy little girl whining about how life is unfair later…you know, when we're not all possibly going to get killed," the brunette rolled her eyes. Loki took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment, seeming to calm down before he spoke again.

"I recall that he has powers similar to mine but much more powerful," he finally answered minus the attitude.

"How much more powerful?" Sif asked, one of the warriors finally joining in on the conversation.

"From what I have gathered, he is of the race that resides on a place called Titan. Some form of eternal beings much like Asgardians," he answered.

"We're going to need Thor's help on this, aren't we?" Darcy mumbled.

"I'm afraid so," Loki grumbled, sounding none too pleased about having to work with his brother instead of trying to kill him.

"Shall I ask Hiemdall to get him?" Frigga asked, half rising from her seat before her second son shook his head.

"I will do it. It will be faster," he sighed.

"Maybe you should bring the rest of them too? And their Frost Giant friend that landed on Earth. It'll probably make the whole information exchange easier," Darcy suggested. At his nod she gave a small smile and waved as he disappeared without a sound.

"I don't think I've ever seen Loki take direction so well before," Frigga commented. Darcy would swear her smile was more of a smirk, but with other worldly gods one couldn't be too sure. The brunette simply shrugged at the comment, starting to feel twitchy in the ensuing silence. What was taking Loki so long? The dude was magic. He should have been back by now even if he had to transport eight people. Darcy started to actually twitch with the need to move, most of the people in the room looking at her curiously. The brunette had to keep reminding herself that a majority of them hadn't seen someone from earth before, or if they had, they hadn't been to her planet in like, a thousand years. The urge to run away and hide back in Loki's room became stronger when even Odin turned his eye on her. It looked like he was about to say something when a loud popping noise announced Loki's return. The god looked pale…well, paler than normal, as he strode over to her, glaring at the others as he wrapped his arm around her.

"Well that was the most awkward, silent, five minutes of my life," she whispered into his ear. They were in the back, being blissfully ignored as Thor excitedly introduced the team to everyone else. The poor Frost Giants just stood uneasily by, muttering amongst themselves.

"A Midgardian in Asgard, I'm not surprised no one could think of what to do or say. Also, you are very strange, even for a Midgardian," he replied, a small smile appearing on his face as Darcy huffed indignantly and smacked at his arm. Loki caught sight of his mother's sharp eye on them as the brunette muttered about her slightly injured hand and how he should not be allowed to wear armor.

"My friends, I think it time we talk about the matter at hand!" Thor's booming voice cut through all the conversations taking place, starling the trickster god out of the staring contest with Frigga. The older woman grinned, taking her seat beside Odin as everyone else settled around the room.

"So what do we know so far? Loki didn't say much when he came to get us on Earth," Steve spoke up.

"An alien named Thanos stopped by the Frost Giants' place on his way to Midgard because you all killed his Chituari army last year. Also, he's like a more powerful version of Loki," Darcy said before anyone could speak.

"Well that sounds fun," Tony spoke up after a second while everyone else just stared, which was starting to get really annoying to the young woman.

"Yeah, as much fun as dealing with a super powered homicidal alien can ever be. I think you have some brain damage from your little suffocating stunt as an astronaut Stark," Darcy sniped.

"And there's the Darcy I know and love…so does anyone have an idea of how to deal with this? Because I am not diverting another nuclear warhead through an inter-dimensional portal again."

"I assume, because Thanos is similar to Loki, that they would have the same weaknesses," Thor offered quietly after a minute. The super geniuses in the room looked surprised that the blond powerhouse actually offered up a thoughtful idea before Loki scowled.

"Yes Thor, we'll just find a bridge that plummets to nowhere and throw him off it," the younger god sneered. By this point Darcy had had enough of his attitude and grabbed the nearest thing to her which turned out to be Hogun's mace, and giving it a good baseball style swing right into Loki's skull.

"Dammit woman will you stop hitting me!" he screamed, yanking the thing from her hands.

"No because you keep pulling your passive aggressive shit when there isn't time for it! Grow up Loki! Yeah, you're adopted, yeah you freaked out when you found out, yeah your Dad has an awful tendency to blame you for everything but suck it up! Your Mom and your brother love you and Thor would've probably jumped off the bridge right after you if he thought it would've helped any, but you make your own damn choices and you have one hell of a tendency to make the wrong ones. For once, just this once, don't argue with Odin and Thor just because you feel like you should. I keep hitting you in hopes you'll get it through you're thick skull that you're doing things wrong!" By the end of her own little tantrum Darcy was too fed up to continue playing mediator.

"He's your problem for now, I'm done putting up with him until he stops acting like a child," the brunette huffed before making a rather spectacular exit if she did say so herself. The room was left in stunned silence until Tony spoke up again.

"For a girl barely out of college, Darcy is too damn smart for her own good," he mentioned casually.

"She does make a good point Loki, you're took busy fighting your Father and brother every step to see reason," Frigga said quietly as she stood and followed the young Midgardian from the room.

"Well this is going great," Hawkeye muttered to Natasha where they were lurking in the corner.

"It's a wonder the world ever gets saved at all," she sighed, rolling her eyes.


	28. The Real Chap, 27 (Loki's fault!)

A/N: Ok, so first off I'm really sorry that it took this long for me to post another chapter. I have a lot of personal things going on right now and it's a difficult time to write, let alone update. I just really hope you guys like this chapter, and again, so sorry for the wait!

Also, BIG props to my amazing beta Starcrier for being patient with all my freak outs and even more frequent disappearances. you're amazing and i love you!

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It was hours later when Loki found Darcy hidden in a corner of the library, angrily reading one of many books piled around her. The younger prince wasn't sure one was even capable of reading a book angrily, but somehow she seemed to be managing it. The pages should have been bursting into flames by all rights with the heat of the girl's glare.

"Darcy," he spoke quietly, stopping a few feet away from her window seat so as not to startle her.

"What." She growled, not looking up, though he could tell she had stopped reading.

"I…I wish to apologize," he mumbled, taking a step closer. That got him only a miniscule reaction in the form of a raised eyebrow. Loki sighed. He was once a king and now here he was begging favor from a mortal girl.

"What are you apologizing for?" Darcy asked dismissively. He sighed, looking up to the ceiling and begging for patience before perching uneasily on the edge of the seat.

"I know that I may sometimes act petulant but you must understand, at least some small amount, why I am the way I am towards Odin," he muttered, glancing at her from his periphery. She heaved her own sigh, eerily similar to his own from a moment ago, before she closed her book and made room for him to sit more comfortably.

"I'm not mad about that, I get it. Believe it or not Loki, I don't do well with being told what to do. The difference between you and I is that I know when agreeing with people and following orders is in my own best interest as well as theirs. You have yourself convinced that you're smarter than everyone else in that room and no matter what they say, you're right," the brunette explained.

"To be fair, I am smarter than most everyone in that room."

"Not the point. Intelligence can only get you so far. Thor and Sif and the warriors don't fight with the same strategic knowhow you do but Thor beat you twice when you fought. Can you explain that? For all of your intelligence it can't help you when the outcome is unpredictable."

"I realize it may be impossible to account for every single outcome of anything, but it is possible to predict for the most likely of scenarios," the green eyed man argued. If Darcy didn't remember him when he was a half-crazed murderer she would say Loki was pouting.

"Have you ever read about Chaos Theory?" she asked after a moment of silence.

"Is it a Midgardian idea?" when she nodded he scoffed, "Then no. I find Midgardian thinking to be far too primitive to be included in my studies." Darcy scowled, but let the unintentional insult slide…for now.

"Well this Midgardian guy, Edward Lorenz, said Chaos is "When the present determines the future, but the approximate present does not approximately determine the future' and I think he had the right idea," she said. The brunette had the pleasure of seeing Loki looking confused for a moment before he schooled his features and thought through what she said.

"It basically means that you can't predict the future," Darcy sighed when she got sick of the silence. Loki scowled at her, rolling his eyes.

"I understood that much. I was thinking of a rebuttal," he huffed.

"If it takes you that long to think of one then you got nothing magic boy."

"Please don't call me that," he sighed in that familiar way that meant it wasn't the first time he'd had to say it. The brunette smiled, glad to be back in conversational territory she was comfortable with.

"So here's the deal. You stop being an asshole, the whole bunch of you super powered people go save the universe or whatever, and then we can have celebration sex when you get back…but only if everyone comes back alive," Darcy said with a smirk.

"Oh yes, because it's that simple."

"Sarcasm is my thing Loki, deception is yours," the young woman sing-songed as she stood.

"And where do you think you're going?" he asked, starting to followed her as she made her way towards the entrance of the library.

"Oh no, I'm staying here and reading. You're going back to the meeting room and helping," she told him with a grin as she pushed him out into the hall.

"Oh, am I?"

"Please, if the guys are going up against someone like you don't you think it would be useful to have a former super villain in on the planning process?"

* * *

"Brother! I did not expect you to return so soon. Have you spoken to Darcy?" Thor asked, either not caring or not realizing that everyone in the room was staring at them.

"Yes Thor, I spoke with her. Perhaps we could have this conversation another time though. I think we have more pressing matters to discuss," the younger prince muttered, motioning towards where the Frost Giants were still standing awkwardly in the corner.

"Loki is right. From what I understand, Thanos is already well on his way towards Midgard," Odin spoke up in his usual soft voice.

"How soon until he gets there?" Steve asked.

"We're not sure which form of travel he is using. There are many paths between worlds. I have only used a handful of them," Loki sighed.

"Is there a way you could maybe track him or something?" Tony questioned as he wandered the room, curiously studying his surroundings. A year ago the young Asgardian would've taken the Man of Iron's attitude for blasé, but now he recognized it for the coping process it was.

"Loki?" Thor added quietly, a grim, questioning expression on his face. The green eyed man opened his mouth to immediately deny any way of possibly tracking Thanos but paused…his mind latching on to some little snippet of information he half remembered.

"Perhaps…" he trailed off as he vanished from the room for a moment. Darcy was still ranting when he returned

"…arrogant asshole! Seriously, I just forgave you for acting like a brat and here you are half an hour later popping in and dragging me away from my book! This had better be good," the brunette huffed, glaring up and him.

"Um, Darcy?" Steve spoke up tentatively, drawing her attention to the room. She looked around to everyone staring at her again, the Frost Giants shuffling back just a little.

"Well? Did you guys come up with a plan or not?" she demanded.

"I don't know, ask Rock of Ages over there," Tony piped up, waving at Loki.

"There is a way I could possibly track Thanos, but I will need a few things," the raven haired prince mumbled, sounding the most hesitant he had ever been.

"Well?" Natasha asked, the first she had spoken to anyone else in the room besides Hawkeye. Loki turned his gaze towards her and her partner, looking wary.

"I will need your assistance archer."

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P.S: I'm not a scientist, I'm a psychology major, so anything i wrote about chaos theory i got from wikipedia. Anything that bugs you in this chapter feel free to tell me, lol, i can take the abuse. But really, i just prefer to fix my mistakes but i won't see them unless you wonderful readers point them out to me!


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